Rhapsody in Green
by Imperium42
Summary: It all started out innocently enough. Three years after Class 1-A graduates from U.A., the girls find Midoriya on a dating app, and decide that the best way to help Uraraka end her streak of bad luck with Deku is to find out for themselves what the number three hero looks for in a woman. Nothing goes as planned when it comes to romance, though. Dekubowl plus Bakugo/Shinso/Toga!
1. Let the Games Begin

**Rhapsody in Green**

**Chapter 1: Let The Games Begin**

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_**Hey, all! I've always enjoyed romance fics in this fandom, but I've never tried my hand at writing one before- this is **__**my attempt to set up Dekubowl in a way that's relatively realistic and grounded, without any major OOC moments or decisions for anyone involved. This chapter is mainly setup, but going forward, each competitor will have one dedicated to them, with shifts between their perspective and Deku's. I hope you enjoy, feedback is always appreciated! By the way, credit to msleilei on tumblr for the cover image!**_

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_Three Years after Class 1-A's Graduation from U.A. High School_

_The Sunflower Samurai Bar, Downtown Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward_

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"Hey girly, so glad you could make it! Long time no see, right?!"

Ashido Mina's giddy, lilting voice was the first thing that Yaoyorozu Momo heard when she pulled open the door and strode into the bar they'd designated at their meeting spot, aside from the other patrons' idle chatter and the deep, thumping bass of some type of hip-hop or rap music playing over the speakers- she wasn't entirely sure about the genre, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn't on any of her playlists. Momo's head swiveled over to locate to the source of the sound, but then a pair of strong arms wrapped around her in a bear hug from the side, and Pinky was lifting her up into the air with a wide smile on her face.

"It has been a while," Creati replied with a chuckle once she was back on solid ground, returning Mina's hug before they started back towards the group's table; they seemed to be the first two there, by the look of it. "You were down in Shikoku on assignment with Mount Lady and Kamui Woods for a while, right?"

"Yup, two weeks of looking into some local thugs that were trying to get involved in the narcotics trade. Just got back two days ago! That was a total snoozefest, though, if I'm gonna be honest, but I've got plenty of new tea about my bosses." She paused and took a thoughtful sip from her cocktail, a tall, fruity monstrosity with a hefty slice of pineapple and a little tropical umbrella perched on the side of the glass. "If you still wanna hear about that, of course."

"Remind me where you'd left off?" Yaoyorozu asked, flagging the waiter down to order her signature whisky highball. "Last thing I remember, you caught them holding hands backstage at the party the prefectural governor threw."

One of the things Ashido delighted most in when she saw her old U.A. friends was updating them on the increasingly non-secret romance that had slowly been brewing between Mount Lady and Kamui Woods over the past few years. Mina was formally employed as Takeyama's sidekick, but given the ongoing partnership between the two heroes, she practically worked for both of them- not a bad deal, given that Yuu and Kamui were currently the number seven and number four heroes in the country. She'd matured a great deal since she started interning under them during her third year, both mentally and physically- the outline of her muscles was clearly visible beneath her jean jacket and lacy top, in addition to her usual curves.

"Oh trust me, we're _way_ past that by now." Mina raised one eyebrow and grinned scandalously, and Momo couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "They were _totally _fucking over in the other room at this apartment we were renting out in Matsuya, it was pretty late so they must've thought me and the other sidekicks were asleep! It was _so _obvious, babe, lemme tell you. You could basically-"

Then the door swung open again, and Ashido was back up and halfway across the room to greet Uraraka, Hagakure, and Asui before Yaoyorozu could even process that they'd arrived. The alumnae of hero course 1-A (and a few from 1-B) had been doing their best to keep in touch since they graduated and went their separate ways for work three years ago, and for the most part they'd been successful when it came to planning occasional reunions, mostly thanks to Momo's efforts at putting everything together. It was after nine, giving them all enough time to run back and change after their patrol and recon shifts ended, and the venue she'd chosen this time was centrally located relative to all of their various offices. Toru and Mina already seemed to be regulars- the bartender gave them a familiar wave when he walked by, and a minute later he brought Hagakure a tall, blended margarita before the server had even come to take their drink orders. Kendo, Jiro, and Setsuna showed up shortly afterward, and with all eight girls present, the conversation finally began to flow.

"So how's having your own agency and everything going?!" Ochako was asking Tsuyu excitedly between sips of her strawberry daiquiri. "I promise I'll come out and see the place for myself soon, the pictures you sent me looked so nice! Things have just been so busy at Ryukyu's…"

"It's been pretty enjoyable so far, ribbit," Asui replied, one finger perched on her chin. As of a week ago, she'd become the latest member of the group to move past being a sidekick and go solo, joining Kendo, Yaoyorozu, and Setsuna. "It was scary at first leaving the stability of an established office behind, and the paperwork is a nightmare, but I've had so much more freedom dictating my time and missions, and I already have tons of sidekick applications and team-up offers to sort through. I'm glad I took the opportunity, overall."

"It truly is an intimidating plunge," Momo offered sympathetically, "but the benefits can be extraordinary if you're confident in the quality of your own work. Feel free to let me know if you'd like any tips or recommendations! I'd be delighted to have you over to my office!"

Creati had been one of the first few 1-A students to go pro after graduation, setting up a high-powered agency in the penthouse of a downtown skyscraper with the help of a contribution or two from her parents' company. Quickly climbing in the hero rankings, she'd broken the top twenty at the last poll, and was already employing quite a few current U.A. students as interns.

"Ah, don't let her give you the wrong impression," Itsuka interjected, elbowing her friend playfully in the side as she leaned over towards Froppy. "You're more of a combat-type hero like me anyway, so you should stop by my place, for sure. It may not be as cushy as Queen Momo's, but we have the best dojo you could ever want. You'd be surprised how much networking you can get done by asking other pros to spar with you."

"Or by getting them to be your concert buddies," Jiro offered through a mouthful of takoyaki. "If you don't feel getting bruised on a regular basis, that is. You'd be surprised how many of the big heroes are major music buffs. I got my sidekick job with Gang Orca after I ran into him at this show by an Aerosmith cover band over in Yokohama, and he recognized me from the big fight with Shigaraki. It was the craziest shit, I swear to god."

"I believe that story a little less every time you tell it," Kendo chuckled, shaking her head. "I give it half a year until you're headlining a band with Endeavor on drums and Mount Lady on guitar."

More and more recognizable in the headlines every week, Battle Fist had finished at number nine in the most recent rankings- the third student from their year to break the elusive top ten, behind Deku and Ground Zero, though there were several close behind. Her looks and flashy fighting style had made her an instant media hit, and given their friendly rivalry, her success only pushed Yaoyorozu to try harder than ever_. _The two made eye contact as Kendo took a swig of beer from her mug, and exchanged a brief grin. _I'll catch up to you soon enough, _said Momo's glance. _Just you watch. _

"Oh, by the way, Itsuka!" Hagakure's voice interrupted their moment of solidarity, however, and they glanced back to her end of the table. "How's it going with Monoma? You two still going steady?"

"Ooh, yeah!" Ashido cried, leaning over excitedly- they'd only been at the bar for fifteen minutes, but if the flush on her pink cheeks was any indication, she was already slightly tipsy. "You guys are _so _cute together! Any new updates?"

"Uhhh…" Her demeanor sinking slightly, Kendo rubbed the back of her head and dropped her down gaze to her drink. Beside her, Setsuna's eyes widened in panic, and she made a swift cutting motion across her throat with one hand. "We… sort of… broke up." Itsuka finally finished, hesitantly. "Last week. I'd only told Tokage and Tetsutetsu. I was planning on letting you guys know tonight, I'm sorry for being all secretive about it… it's just still kind of…" She sighed and shook her head, and was quickly assaulted by the full weight of the group's emotional support.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to," said Uraraka, wrapping the red-haired girl in a hug, "but all of us are here for you if I need us. I'm so sorry, Itsuka, you don't deserve this."

"Absolutely," Asui echoed, pushing her plate of sushi in Kendo's direction. "Here, take some of mine, I know eel is your favorite. And why don't we all go get ice cream after this? You love that little 24 hour place down by the water, right?"

"Nah, I've already gone through the whole junk food and cry it out phrase." She pushed back the food insistently in Froppy's direction and took another swig of beer, noticeably longer than the last. "Thank you, though, Tsu, you're sweet."

"Well let me, Mina and Momo know if you need any breakup advice," Jiro offered, exchanging a knowing glance with Yaoyorozu before she leaned over to rub Kendo's arm with one hand. "We've already gone through that whole shitty mess."

Creati nodded solemnly, her countenance drooping as she extended an arm around Itsuka's shoulder. Earphone Jack wasn't wrong- shortly after graduating from U.A., a sizable chunk of the two hero classes had begun to date each other, all within a span of just a few weeks. After an emergency midnight meeting to strategize and work up the courage, Momo and Kyoka had asked out Todoroki and Kaminari, respectively, while Mina asked Kirishima just a day later. For a time, the relationships went well, but soon enough, the realities of pro hero life began to set in, and as they took on increasingly dangerous assignments across the country on an increasingly regular basis, it was only natural that stress from work began to affect their personal affairs as well. In Yaoyorozu's experience, Shoto's habit of retreating into the relative safety of hero work to avoid discussing personal issues only made things worse. By the one year mark, date nights had gone from twice a week to twice a month- if they were lucky with their schedules, that is- and the vacations they'd taken together to Okinawa and Korea were distant memories. By the time Todoroki went solo at his father's urging, she was lucky if she saw him for an hour or two a day- even when his shifts at work ended, he spent more time training at the gym and quirk range than he did with her.

She'd finally broken things off shortly before their two year anniversary, around the same time Jiro ended things with Kaminari, largely due to his persistent habit of flirting around with other sidekicks and pros for the sake of "making connections", and his utter inability to read romantic cues. Mina and Eijiro lasted a bit longer, and only split up when Kirishima went solo and accepted a job offer to partner with Suneater at his agency down in Kyushu, all the way across the country. Ashido declined to leave her current job to move to Nagasaki with him, and they'd parted ways relatively amicably; as far as Momo knew, they still kept in touch. The revelation about Kendo and Monoma was a shock even for her, though- the two had always been an odd couple, but they'd been making things work relatively well, as far as anyone could tell from the outside. The tabloids published photos of their dates on a regular basis, and there had even been buzz about a marriage proposal coming at some point soon.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Tsuyu asked tentatively. Though she was still the most brutally honest of the group when it came to expressing her thoughts, she'd learned a bit more tact over the past few years. "They say that can help sometimes, but it's up to you."

"I mean… I don't know." She frowned and shook her head. "I guess in the end, I'll just say that one of us wanted more commitment and one of us was scared by that, apparently. Also, one of us is sort of a sociopath. I knew that all along, of course, but it… it just doesn't help when conflicts happen."

"That sounds like a lot to handle," Momo said quietly, sliding one hand over Itsuka's. "But like Ochako said, we're here for whatever you need."

"Well… what I think I need for right now is a distraction more than a therapy session, to be totally honest. Moving on instead of moping would definitely be preferable."

"Girl, why didn't you say so in the first place?!" Ashido cried excitedly, pulling out her phone. "We are helping you get back out there, starting tonight. Trust me, this is the best part of breaking up. Have you guys been using this new dating app lately? It's been working _great_ for me, trust me." She punctuated the last sentence with a suggestive wink, and Yaoyorozu felt herself flushing slightly in embarrassment as she followed the rest of the table in pulling out her phone and opening the app in question. To be fair, she hadn't been using it that often, but the handful of dates she'd gone on had certainly helped her regain her self-confidence after the breakup. The only two who didn't have their profile at the ready were Kendo and Hagakure, who was still happily dating Ojiro, the only relationship left standing from their class.

"Sorry that I can't join in!" Toru pouted, flashing the gold and silver-plated bracelet that Mashirao had given her for their most recent anniversary. "I'm so curious to hear about how you guys have been handling the single life, though! I'm almost jealous of you!"

"Don't even pretend that you don't miss it," Mina teased, holding out her phone's screen so everyone could see her home page. "Alright, ladies, feast your eyes on a trained combat veteran's expertly designed profile."

"Veteran?" Jiro crossed her arms and sniggered in disbelief. "Please, you've only been single for three months."

"You'd be surprised how much a girl can get done in three months," Ashido shot back coyly as she swiped through her photos. There were almost a dozen of them, ranging from risqué selfies clearly taken in various stages of undress to stunning, professionally done shots of her in a variety of exotic locations- a neon-illuminated swimming pool on the top floor of a skyscraper, a scenic archway underneath the Forbidden City in Beijing, leaning on the railing at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Her cleavage became progressively more visible the further they went, and Momo couldn't help but be awed by Pinky's sheer confidence. Beneath the pictures, the bio was just two words long: _"Impress me."_

"I took like half of those photos, by the way," Toru declared proudly.

"Holy shit," Jiro breathed, voicing the rest of the table's sentiments aloud. "This is fucking wild, man. I wish I had the balls to use pictures half as sexy as this. How many matches do you have?"

"Good question," Mina quipped, finishing off her cocktail and signaling the waiter for another. "I kinda lost count, but it was somewhere around two or three thousand the last time I checked. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes, I only ever respond to like one or two a day."

"Three _thousand?!" _Uraraka sighed and laid her head down on the table. "And here I thought I was lucky when I hit a hundred."

"And how many dates does that add up to?" Togake set down her mojito and looked up at Ashido with wide eyes. "I can only fit in a few a month with my schedule, and even then it's hard as hell to find the time to follow up if I want a second one."

"As many as I want." Mina shrugged nonchalantly. "Depends on how I'm feeling, but I've been able to get pretty creative with timing these things when I put my mind to it. I've even worked in a few during shifts- ever gotten drinks with someone while also trailing a perp at the same bar? Because I'd be lying if I said I haven't done that at least twice. Sometimes I'll get busy and go dry for a week or two, but I think my record is six dates in one weekend."

"You're an absolute monster," Kyoka shook her head in mock disappointment and chuckled. "I think you need an intervention."

"Or maybe you just need an attitude change," Ashido countered wryly, and snatched the other girl's phone off the table. "Let's see what your profile looks like before you start acting all high and mighty, Ms. Punk Rock." Ignoring the mortified look on Jiro's face, Mina turned the phone around so they could all see and began to scroll through the info with a gleeful look in her eye. "Ooh, preferences set to both men and women, interesting! Not like we didn't already all know about that, though. Cute pictures, mostly concert and rave selfies, no judgement there. And aww, this bio! 'Full-time hero, part-time musician, aspiring lyricist. Tell me about your favorite bands! By the way, no Nickelback or country fans allowed, sorry.' Kyoka, babe, this is adorable!"

"I'm gonna kill you," Jiro muttered into her hands, doing her best to hide how bright red her face currently was. "Slowly and painfully."

"I thought it was a pretty good profile, ribbit." Asui patted Jiro's back comfortingly. "But Mina's right, by the way, everyone already knows that you're bi. I'm pretty sure I was the one who figured it out."

"Really? When?"

"A few minutes after I first met you."

"Okay, who's next?" Ashido cried gleefully, looking around the table. "Momo, how 'bout you? I bet you've been killing the game, there's no way you don't have more matches than me!"

"I… tend to be a bit picky," Yaoyorozu admitted as she offered up her phone. She only had two pictures on her profile- one smiling bathroom selfie and a professionally taken photo in front of the gates of her parents' estate- but her bio was practically a book.

"Loves engaging discussions about history, philosophy, and economics, along with shopping, teahouses, and long walks to the nearest mochi stand." Mina's grin only grew as she read, as did Momo's embarrassment. "Looking for a genuine connection with someone, not just a casual fling, so anyone interested in the latter should kindly unmatch. Being able to hold a conversation is a plus, as is an extensive background in literature- feel free to recommend me your favorite authors! A few examples of my personal favorite works are…" Growing impatient, Ashido scrolled down a bit and skimmed the first line of the next paragraph, then the one after that. "An ideal first date might include one of the following activities… Forward a preview of your stock portfolio if interested… Jesus, Momo, how many pages does it go on like this?!"

"…Several," she admitted after a moment's hesitation. "I also used send them a full questionnaire before the first date, but Jiro persuaded me to stop doing that."

"And how many guys actually end up sending you their stock portfolios?!"

"More than you might think. Most of them aren't very good, though- believe me, it's been an excellent way to weed people out."

Her eyes closed in exasperation, Mina sighed and massaged her temple with two fingers.

"Okay, we're gonna address everything that's wrong with that concept, but only after we go through everyone else's and help out poor Kendo here."

The remaining three girls' profiles proved to be a bit more orthodox, by comparison- Setsuna had a few racy pictures, but nothing close to Ashido's level of quality, and her bio was largely a rant about how much she loved dinosaurs. Tsuyu's, on the other hand, was as brutally honest as usual: 'Looking for cute guys to hook up with. I'm pretty busy with work, so I probably won't respond most of the time. Aquatic-type quirks are a plus. Try to be interesting, if possible.'

When they finally reached Uraraka, the entire table couldn't help but cringe in collective discomfort when the first picture that came up was of her and Midoriya. After two years of gentle encouragement from the whole group, Ochako had finally built up the nerve to act on her longstanding crush, and asked Izuku out just before their graduation. They'd all been as shocked and devastated as she was when he said no, explaining that he didn't want to put her in any danger while Shigaraki was still on the loose. As heartbroken as she'd been, Uraraka handled the rejection well, and the two remained friends; a year later, after Tomura was defeated once and for all at U.A. by Midoriya and Bakugo with help from Eri and the rest of the class, she'd been on the cusp of asking him again, until Hatsume Mei swept in and stole her thunder. She and Izuku had dated for over a year, until she got a major contract offer from a famous American support item company, and unceremoniously left him behind for California. That had been almost eight months ago, but no one had had the heart to bring the issue up with Uraraka again in the meantime. And as much as she tried to deny it, they all knew full well that she obviously still had feelings for him.

_Poor girl, _Momo thought to herself as Ochako stammered out an excuse about her and Izuku still being good friends and quickly scrolled to the next one. _She deserves to be happy. _It wasn't exactly as if she could blame Uraraka for continuing to pine after him; three years after their graduation, Midoriya was a completely changed person, bold, confident, and charismatic where he'd once been insecure, shy, and socially inept. Deku was currently the number three hero behind Endeavor and Lemillion, handsome and muscular, with a chiseled jaw and chiseled pecs to match All Might's in his prime. Other than Hatsume, though, he'd never dated or shown interest in anyone, and even during his relationship, the paparazzi had struggled to produce any sort of scandalous photos or reports aside from ones that were obviously fabricated. _It might be hopeless for her after all, _Yaoyorozu mused disappointedly, though she forced herself to snap out of it and pay attention to the rest of the profile.

The other pictures were fairly standard, including a shot of her and Tsu in swimsuits on the beach and a selfie of Ochako in her apartment, surrounded by her cats- Momo couldn't decide whether that last one was adorable or sad. Her bio was rather plain as well: 'I love puns, dessert, and my three beautiful kitties- see if you can add yourself to that list!'

"Well, there's… some room for improvement," Ashido managed a grin, and gave Uraraka a playful punch on the arm. "But nothing we can't help ya with. So, uh… how often have you been going on dates?"

"Eh, whenever I have time…" She gave them a sheepish smile. "Maybe… once every month or two?"

_She's definitely still not over him, _the entire table thought in unison. Sensing the awkward tension, Jiro quickly moved the topic of conversation back to Kendo, the reason they'd even started talking about the app in the first place.

"So in case you guys forgot, my gal Itsuka here is definitely gonna need our help putting together a killer profile to get back on her feet. Wanna give her some of that veteran advice of yours, Mina?"

"Guys, I dunno about this…" Kendo shrugged, and hiccupped from the beer. "It seems kinda overwhelming…"

"What happened to wanting to move on?" Ashido protested. "You said it yourself, girl, you need a distraction! Just give it a chance- one week, how about that? If you don't like it after seven days, go ahead and delete, it, but at least give it that long. It could be exactly what you need!"

Battle Fist caved relatively rapidly after that, and within ten minutes, the table of girls had slapped together a makeshift combination of pictures from her phone's gallery- finding ones without Monoma in them was an awkward and unenviable task- and sex-related puns about hands, fingers, and fists for her bio, mostly contributed by Tokage and Mina. Once that was done, they wasted no time setting her out into the wild to start swiping, and Momo couldn't help but lean over and observe Itsuka's taste in men as she moved her thumb to the right or left.

"This is so weird," Kendo giggled after a while, once she'd gotten her first match. "I feel like a washed-up grandma going to her first singles night in thirty years."

"Trust me," Yaoyorozu replied with a smirk, "I know exactly what you mean. Wait, is that…?"

They locked eyes, and Itsuka's flitted toward Kyoka, who was thankfully distracted talking to Ochako and Toru at the moment. Kendo had landed on Kaminari's profile, and was currently being treated to a photo of Denki's exposed abs in the bathroom mirror, below his grinning face and instantly recognizable mop of black-striped yellow hair. 'Ladies of all types welcome,' the bio read. 'Stick with me, and I'll electrify your love life'.

_"Yikes," _Itsuka whispered, hurriedly swiping left.

"That about sums my thoughts up too," Momo murmured in reply. "Let's just pretend we didn't see that."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

As the rest of their entrees showed up and the alcohol kept flowing over the course of the night, Kendo continued to idly swipe whenever the conversation died down, pointing out interesting profiles to the group whenever they cropped up. Over the next hour, she came across Tokoyami, Sero, and even Mirio Togata, whose bio had them in hysterics for several minutes. Around eleven, the meal seemed to be wrapping up, and there were tentative discussions about going to a club next, since most of them had off work in the morning. Uraraka stepped outside to take a call from Ryukyu while they deliberated, but just when they were about to reach a verdict one way or another, Kendo froze in her chair, her eyes suddenly as wide as saucers.

"Holy shit. Guys, look at this. I'm not going crazy, right?"

She held the phone out to the middle of the table, and Yaoyorozu leaned forward curiously. At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary profile. Akira, the boy's name read, age 21. The lighting on the first photo, a simple bedroom selfie, wasn't exactly the best, almost like he'd used a filter of some sort. Then she recognized his face, and it all clicked.

"Is that… _Midoriya?!" _

The young man's hair and eyes were both black, but there was no mistaking that messy style, or the shadows of scars left behind from his battle with Shigaraki, or his cheekbones and jaw structure, for that matter. As she scrolled through, it became clear that the rest of his pictures were similarly illusive- there were no other people or identifying features that would place him as Deku the hero, just simple shots of him in an unremarkable apartment, or at various landmarks around Japan and the US, either with the colors altered or from just far enough away that his features couldn't quite be made out perfectly. There was even one where a second person had clearly been cropped out, and everyone knew immediately that it was Hatsume.

"I don't get it," Setsuna muttered, glancing at the door to make sure Ochako hadn't come back inside. "I mean, fame is a bitch and all, and attracting unwanted attention sucks, but why try and hide his identity like this? Even Lemillion is straight up about who he is in his profile, and he's number two!"

"I guess he's always been shy about this sort of thing, looking back on the evidence from our time at U.A. and afterward." Momo leapt at the chance to begin theorizing, one hand perched on her chin in contemplation. "It's possible that despite the changes to the rest of his personality, Midoriya is still quite shy and reserved when it comes to romance, perhaps even more so now that he's been dumped in a rather rude fashion."

"So he's trying to mislead people about his identity because… he's still insecure?" Jiro completed, one eyebrow raised skeptically. "That's… pretty lame, I'm not gonna lie."

"That's one possibility," Yaoyorozu continued, "but it's more likely that he's doing so in attempt to keep his personal and professional lives separated, especially given the peril those around him have been exposed to in the past thanks to the machinations of villains."

"Yeah, because the League is definitely going to go after some random girl he had drinks and a one night stand with." Jiro shrugged. "I dunno, seems kinda overprotective to me."

"Well keep in mind," said Mina, "this is Midoriya we're talking about, guys. Overprotective is one of his middle names- that along with Broken Bones and Man Tears."

"Regardless of any of that," Kendo interjected, "the question is what do we do now? Should we tell Ochako? I feel like she deserves to at least be aware."

"You're right, she does." Momo frowned, deep in thought. "But we have to be careful about this- she's already had her heart broken twice, so we should do everything we can to prevent that from happening again. I say we hold off on telling her for now, and do some investigating ourselves."

"Investigating? You mean like following him around detective-style?" Hagakure visibly perked up on the other side of the table. "Because I could definitely help out with that! He'll never see me coming!"

"No, not quite like that." Yaoyorozu inhaled a deep breath, trying her best to summon the resolve to put her thoughts into words. Perhaps it was the whisky speaking, but she slammed her palms down on the table and took the plunge. "Midoriya has clearly indicated with this profile that he's available and interested in seeing women. So what if we… did the hard work for Ochako?"

"Wait, hold up a minute…" Setsuna chuckled and held up one hand. "You mean like… what if we all went out with him?"

"Just to see what type of woman he likes!" Momo protested, blushing involuntarily. "And to find out what he's looking for in his next relationship! It would all be for Uraraka's sake! Think of the whole thing as…"

"Reconnaissance?" Asui finished, curiosity plain on her face. "I get what you're saying, Yaomomo. To be honest, I wouldn't mind. I've always thought that Midoriya was kind of cute. We almost kissed during second year, did I tell you guys that? We went on this sort of semi-date, but he got too scared and chickened out at the end."

"You did not, but I can absolutely see that happening." Jiro took another sip of her Moscow mule and drummed her fingers on the table. "Well, the little green bean's never really been my type, but he's a cool guy, always helped me out with my combat training when I needed. So if we're all really doing this, I guess I'm down, yeah. I mean, it's just one date."

"Not so little anymore," Kendo chided playfully. "God, he really hit a growth spurt, didn't he? Well lemme see if it's meant to be between me and him." With a flick of her thumb, Itsuka swiped right, and the table gasped in surprise when her phone vibrated with the notification for a match.

"Holy shit, he's online right now!" Ashido whipped her phone back out of her pocket and set off swiping at lightning speed. "This is a pride thing for me now, ladies. I mean, I have his number on speed dial from work, but I now I just have to make that fucker match with me."

"Someone's pretty determined." A wide grin on her face, Tokage detached one of her arms and used it to poke Mina playfully on the cheek. "You sure you're solely interested in helping out Ochako?"

"Obviously, how dare you accuse me of unprofessionalism?! But while we're at it, why don't we add some stakes to this? If you guys haven't noticed, I'm a teensy bit competitive, I do better with challenges than with vague objectives."

"Challenge?" Yaoyorozu felt one of her eyebrows raise. "What sort of challenge do you mean?"

"If you don't kiss him by the end of the date, you have to buy dinner for everyone else in the group." Suddenly Ashido's smirk became even more devious than usual, and her eyes took on a conspiratorial light. "And the first one to sleep with him gets a prize. Let's say… free drinks for a month, rotating payment system from everybody else."

"Hold up, _sleep _with him?" Kyoka nearly spit out her drink, her cheeks flushing crimson as a round of gasps and shocked expressions worked its way around the table. "Whoa there, that wasn't part of the deal."

"I am altering the deal." Mina held one hand over her mouth like a mask and began to make Darth Vader breathing noises. "Pray I don't alter it any further."

"Well this was technically my idea in the first place…" Momo bit her lip, deep in the grip of indecision. "But… I guess that's a fair optional objective… if it motivates people?"

"Consider me motivated," Tsu shrugged, but before anyone else could reply, the door opened, and the group fell as silent as the grave when Ochako hurried back through and began to grab her things.

"Sorry guys, I've gotta run! Got word from the office that one of the perps we were tracking just popped up in Nagoya, so Ryukyu and I are gonna take the train over and attempt pursuit."

"At midnight on a Friday?!" Toru protested. "That's crazy, you worked all day too! Promise me you'll sleep on the train, okay?"

"We might be doing a briefing on the way there, but I'll try my best! See you all soon, okay? I promise I'll stay for the club next time, take a shot for me!" After giving all of the girls brief hugs which were made painfully awkward by the context of the situation, Uraraka rushed out the door, and the rest of the table was left stewing in embarrassment.

"So…" Jiro was the first to speak, twirling one of her jacks around her finger absentmindedly. "Are we really doing this?"

"Yes." Mina and Tsuyu answered in unison.

"I… guess so?" Kendo still seemed conflicted as she peered down at her phone. "I mean, he did swipe right on me. I feel like I've got the most justification out of anyone."

"Eh, I don't know him that well, but right now I'm drunk enough to feel like this isn't too bad of an idea." Setsuna shrugged and finished what remained of her third mojito of the night in a single gulp. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

_ "So many things." _Momo cradled her head in both hands, on the verge of being overtaken by a sudden wave of guilt. "We're horrible friends for even considering this, aren't we?"

"You kidding, Moneybags? Of course you are, but I could've told you that way before tonight."

Eight heads whipped around at once at the sound of a familiar, growling voice, and Yaoyorozu felt her jaw slacken in shock when her gaze settled on the bar, and the blond, spiky hair of Bakugo Katsuki- better known as Ground Zero, the number six hero in the country. He'd craned his head around to face their table, and was watching them with mild annoyance on his face, which was already flushed red from drink.

"Bakugo?! I-I didn't see you there! How long have you been listening?"

"Oh, we heard the whole thing." The patron beside Katsuki twisted around in their direction, and Shinso Hitoshi gave Momo a half-assed grin. Synapse the Brainwashing Hero, currently a partner at Monoma's agency, was wearing his signature bluish-purple hair combed back over his black leather trench coat, so she hadn't recognized him from behind. "Pretty interesting little challenge you've got going there, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, and I think the whole thing sounds pretty fucking stupid, as far as I'm concerned." Bakugo slugged back the rest of his glass of whisky in one go, slammed it on the bar, and turned back to face the girls, pointing at them with an accusing finger. "You assholes think you're just gonna waltz in and get Deku to fuck you? Are you kidding me? That prude? Most of you barely even know him. _I'm _the only one here who _really _does. You're all just… fake, that's what you are."

"So what are you saying, tough guy?" Mina crossed her arms defiantly. "You gonna show us how it's done?"

"Maybe I will," Katsuki slurred, swaying slightly in his seat. "Yeah, maybe that's _exactly _what I'll fucking do. You know what, I want in on this shit, you hear me?"

"Hold up, since when do you even swing that way?!" Jiro protested. "Weren't you and Camie from Shiketsu dating for like a year? I know you and Kirishima were close, but I never thought it was _that _close…"

"Don't you fuckin' talk to me about Eijiro," Bakugo snapped, his brows furrowed in anger. "And it was eleven months, not a year, for the record. Not that any of my personal life is your goddamn business."

"You know what, why don't you go ahead and put me down too?" Shinso sighed deeply and rubbed at the dark purple bags under his eyes. "So that when he remembers this conversation tomorrow morning and blows up my damn phone, I can say that we both got roped into it involuntarily."

"Sure thing, but you're not allowed to use your quirk, obviously, and I'm cutting off entry after this." Mina started to count on her fingers, tripping up a few times on account of her tipsiness. "As of now we've got… six, seven… eight people in on this, including you two, so I think that's definitely enough. Now how do we wanna decide order? We obviously can't all be competing to go first, as fun as that shitshow would be."

"Let's just make things simple and go with a random draw." Momo held out her arm and used her quirk to create a bundle of eight wooden sticks, then offered them to Hagakure. "Toru, you shuffle them, to ensure fairness. One of these has a crown carved on the bottom, all the others are all blank. The person who draws the crown gets the first shot at a date with Midoriya. I think it's best to decide the order one date at a time, since we all have hectic schedules that are subject to change."

"Makes sense," piped in Kendo. "I mean, I feel like I'd be within my rights to claim first dibs, but this seems fair. You guys ready to draw?"

After everyone gave their assent, and Hagakure had thoroughly shuffled them, all of the girls plus Bakugo and Shinso carefully drew a stick. Once the last one was gone, Toru clapped her hands together in giddy anticipation.

"Okay, who has the crown?"

"That… would be me." Yaoyorozu declared haltingly, her words tinged with utter embarrassment as she held up the stick in question as proof. _This looks horrible, I had no intention of cheating! If they ask for a redraw, of course I'll agree to one…_

"Stacking the decks!" Mina cried, leaning over the table to point at Momo's blushing face. "Disqualify her, ref, she's crooked!"

"Yeah!" Bakugo pitched in, snapping his stick in two with a squeeze of his fist. "The fuck, dude?! I don't even wanna do this, but that's still dirty!"

"Nah, I saw Toru shuffle, it was a fair draw." Kendo calmed the group down with a wave of her hand and a disarming smile. "I mean, there were only eight possible outcomes, and that was one of them. Plus, going first seems like a lot of pressure now that I think about it."

"Fair point," Jiro replied. "You got this, Yaomomo! You better keep us updated on all the details."

"Let me know how good of a kisser he is," Asui requested politely. "I'll need to be on my A-game for my date with him. You are planning on kissing him, right? I mean, I know you could afford dinner for all of us, but still."

"I… oh my… I haven't even…"

"I have the check for you, ma'am! Would you like that together or separate?"

Saved from her fit of nervous stammering by their smiling young waiter, Yaoyorozu put the whole thing on her card out of a combination of embarrassment and sheer reflex, reassuring the others that they could pay her back later.

"So she's admitting defeat already!" Setsuna gasped as they all began to get up and move towards the exit.

"Oh, trust me." Mina stood and stretched, letting the neon glow of the bar's lights illuminate the full length of her body. "Momo knows when she's outmatched."

* * *

When all was said and done, the group took around five full minutes to get all their things together and leave, chattering about a fancy new club in the next ward over. Synapse and Ground Zero lingered for a while longer, sipping plaintively at their drinks in relative silence before they finally called a cab at around one in the morning. Even after they were gone, though, it took Toga Himiko nearly another full hour to wipe the wide, gleeful grin from her face.

"Toga, report." Kurogiri's voice crackled through the receiver in her ear as she slipped out the bar's back door and into a dark alley, shrugging off the bowtie and jacket that had completed her uniform. "Did you locate the targets?"

"Oh trust me, I located them and then some." The waiter's voice still sounded unfamiliar on her lips, a bit too deep and grating for her tastes; the moment she was sure she was alone, Himiko released her quirk and shuddered with delight as the excess flesh began to melt from her body, rapidly returning her to her normal appearance. "Turns out this place is a real hero haunt, tons of U.A. alums hanging around."

"Please, tell me you didn't kill any of them. This assignment was purely reconnaissance, nothing more- I was very specific about that."

Since the defeat and imprisonment of Shigaraki and the death of All For One, the League of Villains had been reduced to a shadow of its former self; only a scant few members had avoided capture or death in the climactic battle and the days that followed. Kurogiri had taken charge of the remnants, but even after two years, they still didn't dare reveal themselves to the public, too fearful of the country's new symbols of hope and victory- Deku and Ground Zero, household names by this point in their hero careers. Toga's current mission, trailing Bakugo and Shinso's movements, was the biggest risk they'd taken in months, but as far as she was concerned, the real payoff of the night had nothing to do with her objective.

"Don't worry, I was a good girl! I _realllly _wanted to stab them, but I didn't, just like I promised! I did hear some really _interesting _things, though, about an old crush of mine."

"What the hell are you talking about, Toga? Old crush? Is this even related to the mission?"

"Nope, so don't waste any time worrying about it! Just some personal stuff. Hey, is it okay if I take a night off next week? I've been working pretty hard lately, after all."

"I… we'll see." Kurogiri sighed heavily through the radio. "Just worry about getting back to the safehouse to debrief for now, and we can talk about taking time off afterward. _If _you got good intel, that is."

"Don't worry, Mr. Boss, only the best for you!" She hung up before he could reply and began to skip giddily down the alleyway, splashing in puddles as she went. At the next corner, she paused to lean up against a wall, holding her hands tight against her chest as hot red blood crept across her cheeks. "Don't worry, Izu baby- I know I've been away for a while, but I'm coming back to rescue you. I just need to collect a little bit of blood first, and then we can be together forever."

* * *

_**Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you think of this post-U.A. world, and which ships you're most excited to see out of the competitors! This story will eventually get to IzuOcha, but mainly towards the end. Sorry to break up some of people's favorite couples, by the way, but I had to have everyone more or less single for the sake of the plot! Are there any side ships with someone other than Deku you'd like to see briefly touched on in a bit more detail? What could Toga's plan involve?**_

_**Until next time, when we tackle the date with Momo, from Deku's perspective!**_


	2. Luxuriant Symphony

**Chapter 2: Luxuriant Symphony**

"I'm going to keep moving towards the top floors, the fire's still rising! Do you have a head count for how many people are left inside yet?!"

Midoriya Izuku winced as a tongue of searing flame licked past him, but forced himself to continue upwards all the same, sparks of green lightning flying from his body as he scaled the rest of the skyscraper in a single leap and burst in through a wide glass window on the highest floor amid a gust of wind. A quick glance around the room confirmed it was another lab of some sort, and as he set off towards the hallway, Iida Tenya's voice rang out loud and clear in his earpiece.

"Around twenty, according to their personnel logs! Most of them should be concentrated up near you, but I'm going to keep checking floors ten through twenty! I'll let you know if I find anyone else!"

"Affirmative! Keep those engines hot, and stay safe, Ingenium!"

"You do the same, Deku!"

The laboratory was filled thick black smoke and crackling orange flames, but the respirator built into Izuku's mouth guard filtered most of it away, and with a flick of one finger he punched a hole of wind pressure straight through the cloud and out the far window, clearing most of the air in the room. He'd been catching up with Tenya over lunch when they both got the call ten minutes ago- an accident in one of the R&D labs of a major bioengineering firm had started a chemical fire, which by now had grown into a raging inferno. It was rapidly swallowing the sixty-story building from one of the middle floors up; thanks to the volatile nature of the compounds that had caused it, it couldn't be put out by water or other conventional means, and getting close enough to try and smother to it meant risking fatal exposure to toxic gases and compounds. Even a barrage of Deku's standard wind pressure attacks had only slowed it down. Right now, they were focusing on rescuing everyone they could while they waited for the arrival of hazmat team better suited to deal with the blaze.

"Hello?! Is anyone there?! Call out if you can hear my voice!"

A faint cough sounded from the other end of the room as Midoriya searched signs of life, and in a flash he darted over in a burst of quirk-enhanced speed. Part of the ceiling had collapsed under the heat of the blaze, and two scientists were pinned on the floor beneath it, their lab coats streaked black by smoke and ash and torn by shattered glass. They were barely conscious on account of the smoke and chemical fumes, but one lifted her head up at the sound of his approach, and smiled weakly through her tears. She tried to speak, but it ended in a fit of coughing, and Deku smiled reassuringly beneath his mouth-guard as he wrapped his hands around the segment of metal and concrete and heaved it up and off of them with all the effort of lifting a block of Styrofoam.

"Try not to talk, it'll only be another moment before you're breathing clean air again! Don't worry, it's alright now- because I'm here!"

With that, Izuku wrapped them around his shoulders, burst back out through the window, and leapt across to the nearest rooftop, where he'd deposited several other survivors in various states of consciousness; a paramedic team was already setting up on-site. As he set her down on the gravel, though, the woman tried to speak up again, and managed to wheeze out a few strained words this time.

"They're keeping the others… in the fabrication room. Please… save them."

_ They? Keeping them? _Midoriya raised an eyebrow, but before he could question the woman she fell into another fit of violent coughing, and a pair of paramedics swooped in to carry her over to the triage tent after hurriedly thanking him for his efforts. Shouts of dismay from the street below drew his attention back to the problem at hand as the fire spread up another floor, and without a moment's hesitation, he leapt back across and into the doomed building. A rapid search found no more signs of life in what was left of the lab, and the hallway leading to the other end of the floor was completely blocked off by flaming debris. Praying silently that his filters would hold up for a few more minutes, Deku drew back his fist and punched a hole straight through the wall and into the next room over. Once the dust from the shattered concrete and cinderblocks had cleared and he'd stepped through, a scene all too familiar to Izuku by this point in his career began to play out.

"So you're finally here, eh? Took you long enough, hero! I knew starting that fire would get your attention."

It was all Midoriya could do to keep an exasperated sigh from escaping his lips when the villain greeted him, the barrel of his pistol trained on the standard group of hostage scientists tied-up and gagged at the center of the room. His quirk was anyone's guess, but his appearance was relatively unique, at the very least; he had the head of a bird, with a crest of ornately colored feathers and a yellow beak that tapered to a sharp point. _Sort of reminds me of what Tokoyami would look like if Aoyama were his stylist, _Deku mused, tuning out the rest of the villain's monologue as his eyes flitted about the room to assess the rest of the situation. There were three henchmen, each armed with guns or blades of their own. They were dressed just like the scientists- probably disgruntled employees with a criminal agenda, by the look of it, but no indication of a dangerous quirk. There was no sign of explosives or a trap, and the ten hostages looked to be unharmed, aside from the obvious horror on their faces. Thankfully, this room had been insulated enough from the smoke and fumes for them to breathe freely- for now, at least. In the middle of the chamber, the boss of the operation looked like he was finally wrapping up his speech, and Izuku tuned back in.

"…and once I defeat you, this whole country will finally respect me! Everyone who doubted me will remember the name Raptor! Now get on your knees and-"

The villain never finished his sentence; once he'd decided on his attack strategy, Deku sprang forward and swept through the four villains in the span of a heartbeat, starting at the center with Raptor and moving outward to his henchmen. _I should really catch up with Tokoyami sometime soon, _Izuku thought wistfully to himself as he sank a finishing uppercut into the last gunman's chin. _I wonder what he's been up to at his agency. _ He and the other three villains collapsed to the floor in unison a moment later, with a series of satisfying thuds. Once he was certain they were down, Midoriya moved on to the hostages, undoing their bindings in a flash and tearing the tape off their mouths as gently as possible.

"We're saved!" One cried in jubilation, but behind his reassuring smile, Deku wasn't so quick to celebrate- a tremor rocked the building just moments later, and the floor began to shift ever so slightly to one side as the sound of groaning steel reverberated through the air. The hostages' faces instantly reverted to panic, and every one of them turned to him in unison.

"There's no need to fear," he called, loud enough for them to hear his voice over the sounds of raging fire and creaking metal. "This isn't anything I haven't dealt with before! The most important thing you can do right now is stay calm."

At the same time, though, Ingenium's voice was crackling through his earpiece, worry clearly audible in his tone.

"Deku, did you get everyone out of there yet?! The structural integrity of the tower has failed, the top half of the building is seconds away from collapse!"

There were at least ten scientists- more than he could carry in one go- and if Iida was right, there wouldn't be any time to make a second trip. At times like this, Midoriya tried his best to think what his mentor would have done, analyzing possible solutions at lightning speed. Before he could arrive at one, though, another tremor shook the room, stronger than the last, and Izuku was about to dive toward the civilians to protect them when another familiar voice came in over the radio.

"Looks like you two needed a bit of assistance. Is fire too much for you to handle these days, Deku?"

"Not when it comes to yours, Coldflame." Midoriya couldn't hide the grin on his face as he glanced out the window and watched Todoroki at work; Shoto had propped up the upper half of the skyscraper with a massive wave of ice, and he was currently putting the finishing touches on a long slide to carry the civilians down to safety. "You were in town, huh? Took you long enough to get over here."

"I was having lunch at my favorite soba stand, I had to prioritize."

"Speaking of priorities," Izuku replied, busting a hole in the wall with one swift kick and ushering the hostages towards safety, "let's catch up after we get these people out of here, or we're gonna-"

"Discussing personal matters during an active hero operation is highly improper!" Tenya interjected, and Deku almost chuckled at the inevitable rebuke.

"Right you are, Ingenium. Let's wrap things up."

Twenty minutes later, all the injured civilians were being treated or on the way to the nearest hospital, a government hazmat team was dealing with the remnants of the fire, and Todoroki's ice had stabilized the building enough to keep it from falling to pieces until someone with a better quirk could repair the damage.

"Not too shabby," Midoriya declared proudly, his hands on his hips as he watched the four amateur villains being led into police cars. The three U.A. alums were relaxing on one of the nearby rooftops as the clean-up process began, their jobs done for the day. "Feels pretty nice to team up with you two again."

"I could've been more efficient in my duties!" Iida protested, shaking one fist in the air as he inspected the burn damage on his leg armor. "It took me three minutes and seven seconds to clear ten floors, Midoriya- that time is unacceptable! I need to make dramatic improvements to my corner braking for climbing stairs at high speeds!"

"Well you saved almost two dozen people just on your own," Todoroki replied with a shrug, "so it doesn't seem to me like you're falling behind at all. You're right though, Midoriya. It's been a while since the three of us have spent time together. I'm glad I happened to be in the neighborhood."

Izuku couldn't help but notice that Shoto had matured noticeably since he graduated U.A., both physically and otherwise. He wore his hair a bit longer now, tied up in a two-colored bun during work hours with two long strands draping down past his chin, and his face had a harder line to it than during their high school days. His costume had changed a bit as well since he went solo last year, with a sleeker design and a darker material and color scheme. He seemed somewhat tired as well, though, more taxed and worn than usual. Midoriya wasn't sure whether it had more to do with the stress of Todoroki's dogged work ethic in recent months- an attempt to break into the top ten from his current ranking of fourteen- or the fact that his nearly two-year relationship with Yaoyorozu still showed no signs of revival.

"Me too," Deku replied enthusiastically, pushing the thought out of his mind. "Say, are you guys up to anything after this? I've got a meeting with Tsukauchi's team later tonight, but I'm free until then. We could go down to the pier like we used to after classes!"

"While that sounds lovely, I have a conflict, unfortunately." Iida stood and removed his helmet, making his trademark chopping hand motions as he spoke. "I have a date with Nejire after she gets off work today- we're going to a special evening exhibition at the Museum of Nature and Science! I have to get back in time to look my best for her."

Tenya's relationship with the most inquisitive member of U.A.'s Big Three hadn't come to fruition until a year after his own graduation, when the two met on an assignment and quickly developed a mutual interest. While he'd been as shocked as everyone else when they first went public, it made a certain sort of sense when Midoriya reflected on it- after all, Iida was the only one he knew who was patient enough to handle Nejire's tirelessly inquisitive personality. On the other hand, Hado found his earnest nature and extreme embarrassment when it came to matters of romance incredibly adorable, according to Mirio's latest report on the situation.

"Oh, really? That sounds fun! How about you, Todoroki?"

"I'm afraid I'm also busy, sadly. I promised Fuyumi that I'd come over and spend some time with her kids today, my mom is going to make gyudon." As he talked, the hard lines on Coldflame's face softened, and his eyes began to slowly light up again. "My dad might come by too, he's been moving his schedule around all day trying to get the time off. I can walk with you to the subway station, though. I think we're going in the same direction."

"Sure thing. Let's head out!"

The smile never left Izuku's face as they made their way downstairs and said their goodbyes to Iida, but on the inside, he wasn't sure what to feel. He was happy for his friends, of course, elated that Tenya was in a loving relationship and that Shoto's family was finally whole again. But at the same time, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that they were experiencing something he was missing out on, something he'd lost when Hatsume left him with little more than a note and a voicemail in explanation. It felt like their lives had continued to move forward since then, but his had remained fixed in place, stuck in limbo. On one hand, he was the number three hero in the country and the new Symbol of Peace, more famous than any of his former classmates by a mile. He had more money than he knew what to do with, a constant stream of interview requests, an army of dedicated fans who mobbed him and snapped dozens of selfies with him at every event, many of them fully decked out in Deku-brand merchandise. But on the other, he felt more isolated from his friends than he ever had before, both by the demands of his busy work schedule and by the parade of paparazzi who followed him around during much of his free time, monitoring his every move.

He couldn't deny that he'd been feeling more lonely than usual after two of the best sidekicks at his agency both found new partners in the span of a few days after a mission in Nagoya, and although he felt a bit ashamed whenever he thought about it, he'd ended up making a dating profile in a moment of weakness. Using his real identity was too risky, though- he had enough unwanted attention already- so to avoid flatterers who were only after his status and money, he'd changed his name and edited his photos, removed anything that might identify him as Deku the hero. Since then, he'd only used the app on a few rare occasions, and he still hadn't messaged anyone, too anxious about what he'd say to even begin typing. He'd received more than a few suggestive pickup lines from the women he matched with, but still hadn't responded to any. The other night, he'd been drinking at a pub with Aoyama, Kaminari, and Mineta, of all people, when he accidentally swiped right on Kendo Itsuka, formerly of Class B- not that he didn't find her attractive, of course, but he actively tried to avoid people he knew, mostly out of embarrassment about the fake name and profile. When they matched a few minutes later, the resulting scandal had all three of them giving him wildly different advice on how to successfully woo the country's number nine hero.

So far, though, nothing had happened, and as he glanced down at his phone's notifications while he and Todoroki waited for a street crossing signal, he was perfectly content for things to remain like that. Then a message popped up on the blank screen from a classmate he hadn't spoken to in at least half a year, and his eyebrows hiked up in surprise. Yaoyorozu Momo, the message's header read, with her hero name, Creati, in parentheses. The text itself was practically a paragraph long, so much so that his phone split it up into multiple messages. The more Midoriya read, though, the more his shock and confusion grew. _'Dear Midoriya,' _Momo wrote, her style as strangely formal as he remembered, _'I hope you've been well these past few months! I also hope you can forgive me for doing a poor job at keeping in touch with you- you're a valued friend of mine from my days at U.A. and the time we spent working together afterward as heroes, but things have been so hectic lately with my agency that I've unfortunately fallen out of contact with many of the people I care about.'_

_What is she getting at? _Izuku wondered, his eyes narrowing. _Does she need money? No, no chance of that. An inter-agency partnership, then? Or maybe help with a difficult mission? _Time was quick to prove him wrong on all counts as he scrolled further down.

'_I would love to catch up with you sometime soon, and to hear how things have been going for you! Would you be free any night this week to grab dinner together? If that's agreeable to you, of course, I understand that you have a busy schedule! Maybe you could fit me in for coffee sometime if that's the case? Even half an hour would be fine, I don't want to waste your time! Just let me know- thankfully, our agencies aren't too far apart, so it should at least be a short commute! Respectfully, your friend and classmate, Yaoyorozu.'_

"Huh," he muttered aloud, as the light turned and he and Todoroki began to cross the street alongside a mob of other pedestrians.

"What is it?" Shoto asked curiously, glancing over at his phone; Izuku barely closed out of the app in time, and quickly stammered out an alibi.

"I-I was just, uh… my mom needs me to pick up some groceries."

"Ah, I see. Want to go to the Kame Yu by the station together? It would probably good for me to bring Fuyumi some wine or mochi as a present. That's what most people do when they go to each other's houses, right?"

"Nah, that's okay!" Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, Izuku dropped his eyes to the ground, searching desperately for an excuse. "I, uh… I was just gonna go to the store over by her place."

"Are you sure?" Shoto watched him with earnest eyes- as usual, he still wasn't very good at picking up on deception. "I know one of the assistant managers at this Kame Yu- Kira, I think his name is. I saved him from a villain a few months back, so he always gives me a discount. I'm sure he'd give you one too. And your mom's new house is only two subway stops away from here, right?"

"That's… true, yeah."

Half an hour of pretending to shop for Inko later- Midoriya felt too guilty to do anything else- he parted ways with Todoroki at the station, and sat down on the crowded train with a bag of unneeded groceries at his side. _Well, I guess it'll make a nice surprise for her, at the very least,_ he thought, shooting his mom a quick text that he'd be dropping by for a few. Immediately after that was done, though, he switched back to his conversation with Yaoyorozu, reading over her message again with wide eyes to make sure he hadn't misunderstood anything the first time. _She just wants to catch up, _he reassured himself, _as friends, that's all this is. The most beautiful girl in the hero course didn't just ask you on a date, so stop reading too much into it. _Just as Izuku was starting to believe that interpretation, though, doubt began to creep into his mind anew anew. _But if that's all it is, then why did I feel like I had to hide it from Todoroki? They've been apart for over a year, I'm sure they've both moved past it like mature adults._

Deep in contemplation, Midoriya had begun to subconsciously mutter his thoughts under his breath as he stared at the screen of his phone, and he didn't even notice the group of high school-age fans watching him excitedly until a camera shutter clicked just a few inches from his face, and he broke out of his trance all at once. After a few minutes of signing autographs and posing for pictures, he got out at the stop for Inko's house more exhausted than ever, and glanced down at his phone to find that she'd responded to his text. _'I'm so excited to see my baby boy!' _The notification read. _'I'm actually out at the mall right now, but I'll be back in a few! Do you want me to pick up anything for you? I could get us some milk tea from that café you like!' _The text was punctuated with plenty of his mom's signature goofy, smiling emojis, and Midoriya grinned as he typed out a reply and pressed the send button. _'Sure, that sounds great!'_

It took Izuku a few seconds to realize the gravity of the mistake he'd just made. For a brief, blissful moment, he kept walking down the street with a smile on his face, unaware that anything was wrong. Then he glanced back down at his phone, saw Yaoyorozu's name at the top of the screen instead of his mom's, and froze in his tracks. _No way. Did I just… _He blinked, hoping his eyes were deceiving him, but when he opened them again, nothing had changed- he'd sent the text to Momo instead of his mother. After a few moments of nearly hyperventilating on a quiet street corner, he managed to calm himself down, and continued on through the rows of houses toward the one he'd bought for Inko with his hero salary. _Okay, so you didn't get to plan out the reply like you wanted, but it's fine, Izuku, everything's fine. This is basically what you would've said to her regardless. You're just agreeing to meet up with an old classmate, what's wrong with that? It's the same thing you did today for lunch with Iida! _Before he knew it he was muttering again, and with no one around to stop him, he continued to do so all the way up to his mother's doorstep. As he reached down to fish the spare key out of the flowerpot to his right, though, his phone buzzed again, and Midoriya couldn't help but begin to panic anew when he read Yaoyorozu's reply.

_'Excellent! How does 8:00PM tomorrow night work for you? I was thinking about the following venue for dinner, I've attached their address and website below! It's only two blocks from your agency, so hopefully it's convenient for you! Let me now if it you'd prefer somewhere else, though, I have a whole list of backups prepared!'_

* * *

Given her upbringing, Midoriya had a feeling that the place Yaoyorozu selected might be a bit on the fancier side, but nothing could have prepared him for the moment for the moment he stepped out of the gilded elevator doors and into the marble-floored lobby of the single most high-class restaurant he'd ever set foot in. To be fair, the fact that it was located in the penthouse of a skyscraper should've tipped him off, along with the elegant font and design of the website. The first thought that struck him when he saw the tuxedo-garbed maître d' was how woefully underdressed he was, a suspicion that was only confirmed when he glanced inside: The main room was dimly lit, and the tables were occupied by patrons who all looked like they'd just gotten out of the opera. It was a sea of neat suits and fine silk dresses, a stark contrast to his simple grey cardigan and khaki pants. Thankfully he'd worn some of his nicer brown leather shoes, but that wasn't anywhere near enough of a comfort to ease the intense wave of embarrassment currently washing over him.

Half of him wanted nothing more than to turn around, walk back into the elevator, and make some excuse about traffic to Momo while he ran back to his agency to change, but he'd already made eye contact with the maître d', who stepped toward him and glanced down at the reservation list without missing a beat.

"Mr. Midoriya, I presume? Ms. Yaoyorozu has already arrived- I can show you to the table, if you'll just follow me."

"S-sure, yeah."

Izuku tried his best not to make eye contact with any of the other customers as they made their way to the back of the restaurant, but they watched him all the same, murmuring quietly to each other as he passed. Whether they were talking about his inappropriate attire or his hero work, he wasn't sure, but he recognized several of them out of the corner of his eye, including at least one cabinet minister, the chief of the Tokyo Police Department, and a world-famous violinist. His face went red for an entirely different reason when they finally reached the table, though, and Midoriya laid his eyes on Yaoyorozu. He'd always found her physically attractive- that much was just common sense- but the way she looked right now was on an entirely different level. Momo had let her hair down from its usual ponytail, and gently curled it so that it formed a series of waves as it fell down past her shoulders. It contrasted well with the soft lavender of her sleek, ornately patterned dress, which showed just enough of her shoulders and back to send a shiver up Izuku's spine. She stood up the moment she saw him, a wide smile on her face as she strode over to greet him.

"Midoriya! I'm so glad you could make it, it's so good to see you!"

"Yeah, it's great to see you too!" He paused in front of her after that, unsure how exactly to greet someone he was seeing again after so long. _I can't just sit down, she got up to come over to me! Do I shake her hand? No, of course not, that's stupid! Should I bow, then? Or-_

Momo wrapped him in a hug before he could decide on a course of action; Izuku felt himself faint a bit on the inside when her chest pressed against his, and the intoxicating scent of her fragrant perfume filled his nose. He hesitantly returned it, and when they broke apart after a brief moment that seemed to last much longer, they were both blushing fiercely.

"Sorry about that," she said as they both took a seat, grinning sheepishly. "I was just excited to see you again, and I wasn't sure what the proper gesture would be… oh, here's the wine!"

A young brunette waitress dressed in a neat tuxedo to match the maître d's greeted them with a wide smile, and began to uncork a bottle of red wine with an elegant label.

"I hope you don't mind if I went ahead and ordered a bottle," Momo continued, "it's a sixty-year vintage Bordeaux, the best they have on offer! Would you care to do the honor of tasting it?"

"Uh, yeah, of course!" His mind racing to even comprehend how much the best wine at a restaurant like this might cost, Izuku held out his glass, glancing frantically at Yaoyorozu to make sure he was doing this right. If he'd been paying closer attention to the waitress, he might have noticed the strangely intense look in her eyes as she poured him a sip, or the way her fingers were wrapped tightly around the bottle like she was clinging onto it for dear life. But he didn't, instead focusing on the blood-red liquid in his glass as he lifted it up to his nose and swirled it about like he'd seen experts do on TV. _This is what you're supposed to do, right?_

"What sort of notes are you getting?" Momo asked with genuine curiosity, and Midoriya froze, trying desperately to hide the panic on his face. _Notes? Does alcohol count as a note? It just smells like wine!_

"Uhh… they used some… really nice grapes, I think."

"Ooh, is there any hint of Malbec? My parents own some of the vineyards that produce that variety."

"I… um…"

"I can pour the lady a taste as well if she'd like!" The waitress offered, saving Izuku for the time being as Yaoyorozu eagerly accepted, twirling the glass like a master sommelier.

"Oh my, there is Malbec in here! And I'm getting some lovely whiffs of black tea and sour cherry- do you smell them too, Midoriya?"

"Yes, of course!" He replied instantly, grinning like he'd known so all along.

"Well, it seems we've stumbled upon an excellent blend, though I hope I'm not speaking too soon. Shall we taste it together?"

Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was in an old romance movie as they clinked their glasses and drank in unison- all that was missing was a cloud of cigarette smoke and a band playing slow jazz in the background. _Is this how Momo catches up with all her friends? I know she's wealthy, but still! _Everything about the situation felt like a date, but he did his best to ignore that fact for the time being, just as he was doing his best to look at her eyes and not the rather low-cut neck of her dress, or the curves of her body. To be fair, the wine _was _actually quite good- definitely some of the best he'd ever tasted, despite the fact that he usually preferred whites. Once the waitress had poured them both full glasses, he continued to sip at it eagerly.

"So, uh… how much do bottles like this usually go far?" Midoriya had plenty of money to throw around at this point in his career, but he still hadn't been able to shake the frugal instincts of his past. His apartment was relatively small and modest, and he rarely indulged in excessive spending when he could help it.

"Oh, if you're asking about the bill, don't worry- tonight is on me, Midoriya."

"W-what?! No, Yaoyorozu, there's no way I could ask you to do that! I have tons of cash to spend, at least let me get half!"

"It's no problem at all, I promise." She seemed to realize all at once how much she was flaunting her wealth, and her face flushed scarlet again as she stammered out an explanation. "It's just that… I asked you here, not the other way around. It wouldn't be proper for me to expect you to pay in a situation like that! And besides, the owner of this restaurant is a friend of my parents, so it's best if my name is on the bill."

"That's… fair, I guess." Izuku still felt a bit uneasy about the situation, but he relented all the same, and resolved to press forward. "So, speaking of how you asked me here… It's great to you see you, but it definitely has been a while. Did something happen at your agency? Not that it's a problem if that's the case! I'd be more than happy to help out with anything you need! I don't know why we haven't partnered up more often, to be honest, I've always admired your quirk so much, it's so versatile for attack and defense! I was wondering earlier today how you go about making refinements, whether it's just a matter of learning more chemistry or…" He caught himself rambling a bit too late, his finger drifting through the air to take down observations on the page of an imaginary notebook. She laughed good-naturedly when he tried to apologize, sipping at her wine as she waved a hand in the air.

"No, no, you're fine! I'd almost forgotten how passionate you were about this type of thing, so it's nice to have a reminder. It makes me feel like we're back at U.A., running quirk drills for Aizawa."

"You know, I saw him just the other week! We teamed up on an assignment to take down some smugglers over in Chiba- even three years on, it still feels so surreal to treat him as an equal coworker."

"I can imagine! It was the same for me when I worked with Present Mic last year, I kept calling him 'sensei' by accident! Is Aizawa still the same as ever?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it."

For a few minutes after that, the small talk flowed between them relatively naturally, and Midoriya was on the verge of forgetting all about how terrifying this entire experience had seemed a short while ago. Then the waitress stopped by to ask if they were ready to order anything, and Izuku practically recoiled in horror when he opened the menu and saw the prices, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. There didn't seem to be a single entree under ten thousand yen, and even the salads and appetizers were more expensive than most of the entire meals that he generally had, drinks included,. Momo noticed his distress rather quickly, and indicated politely to the waitress that they needed a few more minutes.

"Is something wrong? Like I said, I'll cover it all, so don't worry about the prices!"

"No, it's not that. Well, it kind of is, but not just that. You said you wanted to catch up as old friends, but… we've never interacted in this sort of place, is what I guess I'm trying to say, around this sort of people." He rubbed the back of his head anxiously with one hand and gestured around the room with the other; to prove his point, a new group of tuxedo-clad guests had just entered, with one of the princes from the royal family at the center of the entourage. "All this expensive food and wine and all these celebrities and politicians… I never really come to places like this, never really mingle with this type of crowd except at official ceremonies. It's not a bad thing, just… just a little overwhelming, I guess, for my first time seeing you in so long. I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb here, and not only because I'm underdressed by a mile."

"You're completely right. I'm such an utter fool." She flushed crimson in embarrassment, and cradled her head in her hands. "I just wanted to impress you, I suppose, but I didn't think at all about what setting you would be most comfortable in, just about myself and my own preferences! I can't believe I was so inconsiderate…"

"Impress me?" He frowned, confusion crossing his face. "Yaoyorozu, why would you think you need to impress me? I already think you're amazing!"

If Momo had been embarrassed before, he wasn't sure how to describe her expression after that comment- to say she was flustered was a grave understatement, but amid her panic she managed a few words.

"Y-you don't have to say that, Midoriya, not when you're such an inspiration yourself! I could never hope to compare to you! I-if you want to leave, I understand, I hope you don't think less of me for insulting you like this."

"You still underestimate yourself, huh?" Before his mind could catch up to his body, Izuku had reached out across the table and grabbed hold of her hand- not because of any rational course of action he'd formulated, but because she was clearly in pain, and it felt like the right thing to do.

"Of course I don't think less of you, Yao… Momo." Calling her by her first name felt like the right thing to do as well, and the combination seemed to shock Yaoyorozu into silence, though the blood didn't leave her cheeks. "And I'm not leaving- at least, not without you. Why don't we cork this wine and take it somewhere we can relax a bit more than here? No offense to your parents' friend, of course! This is a lovely place, but I can't even pronounce half the stuff on the menu."

"Well… I… sure!" After a moment for the surprise to wear off, Momo visibly perked up again, and the smile returned to her face. "W-where did you have in mind?"

"Well, uh… we could always go to any of the shopping or food areas downtown. They're probably pretty packed at this time of night, though. My apartment's a mess right now, so that's off the table…"

"Oh! Then how about my house?"

"You mean your apartment, or your parents' estate?" Midoriya had been to the Yaoyorozu manor once or twice during high school, always as part of the group study sessions that Momo hosted during midterms and finals. It never failed to awe him with its sheer size and opulence, with dozens upon dozens of rooms to explore and servants that popped out of nowhere to fulfill guests' every need.

"The latter! You've visited before, so perhaps you'd be more comfortable there! But don't worry, my parents aren't home. Father is abroad on a business trip, and mother is off to the hot springs in Hokkaido with the other members of her tea ceremony club. We'll have the whole place to ourselves!"

Then she realized how what she'd just said sounded, and they both realized simultaneously that Izuku's hand was still draped over hers. They both went red again and quickly broke eye contact, glancing down at their wine. Her skin felt unbelievably soft and smooth against his callused palm, so Midoriya hesitated slightly as withdrew his hand, and looked back up at her face. _It's just a visit, going there doesn't necessarily mean something is going to happen. Calm down, Izuku._

"That sounds nice to me. Are you sure they won't mind if we leave a bit early?"

"I think it'll be alright, we still spent a good amount regardless." Momo beckoned over the waitress, who approached them with her usual enthusiasm and pulled out a pen and notepad.

"Ready to order, then?"

"No, I think we'll actually take the check." She held out a metallic black credit card and gave the girl an apologetic smile. "Something came up, unfortunately. Hero work."

"What?" The waitress's pen dropped to the floor, and her eyes widened. "Y-you're leaving already? The night's just getting started, though."

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It really is a lovely vintage, though. I think we'll be taking it with us."

For a few brief seconds, the she looked a good deal more distressed than an ordinary server would be about her customers leaving, but the waitress quickly regained her composure, and flashed them a wide, toothy grin as she leaned down to grab the pen.

"Of course, I understand. Have a lovely evening, you two."

She turned around just in time to conceal the fact that she'd snapped the pen in two inside her fist, soaking her palm in ink; Izuku shook his head sympathetically as the girl made her way back to the kitchen, unaware that her face was contorted in silent rage.

"She really wanted to keep serving us, huh? Must have been looking forward to your tip."

"I suppose I do have a reputation for being a bit generous," Momo replied sheepishly, corking the bottle and sliding it into her purse. As soon as they had her card back, Yaoyorozu stood and started for the door, but Midoriya caught her by the shoulder and gestured in the opposite direction, toward the glass doors that led to the penthouse's balcony.

"It's about a twenty minute drive, right? Probably longer with traffic. I think I have a better plan, follow me."

Izuku had just struck by an idea that he probably would've dismissed on any other day as too risky and presumptuous, but tonight, everything felt like it was clicking so well that it seemed like the perfect opportunity. When she followed him out into the cool night air, Momo seemed confused at first, the uncertain expression on her face illuminated by the bright neon lights of Tokyo's skyline after dark.

"Do you want me to call over my family's private helicopter? I suppose it could probably land on this building's roof, although I doubt it's entirely up to regulation standards…"

"I had something a bit different in mind, actually." Midoriya stepped up to the balcony's edge and extended one arm towards her. "How about I fly you there? It may not be the type of personal chauffeur service that you're used to, but it's a hell of a view."

"I… oh my." Yaoyorozu held a hand to her mouth in surprise; for a moment, Izuku was worried that he might have taken things a bit too far, but then she stepped forward, a nervous grin on her face. "Are you sure this is alright, Midori… Izuku? Technically, you'd be breaking the rules by using your quirk for your own personal benefit in a non-emergency situation. Not to mention the damage to the economy that we're causing by not driving."

"I think the economy will survive," Midoriya replied with a grin, once he'd mentally recovered from the fact that she'd just called him by his first name. "Besides, it's not against the rules if I'm using it to help someone in distress. Would you say that you're in distress right now, Momo?"

"Well, I…" After a few seconds, she caught on to what he was asking, and returned his grin. "Yes, I'm very much in distress. Might you be so kind as to save me, Deku?"

"Anything for a citizen in need."

With that, he took her gently into his arms, making sure to hold her head against his chest so her eyes and mouth were protected from the wind. It was even more intimate of a position than he'd expected, and keeping his breathing steady was a strenuous task as he stepped up onto the edge and leapt into the night sky amid an expanding cone of air pressure. She let out a loud gasp of shock on takeoff and tightened her grip on his back, just as most people did, and for a moment he was worried that she might throw up from motion sickness- it had been known to happen. Thankfully, though, her expression remained calm, and their eyes briefly met before he was forced to focus back on the cityscape ahead, sending another chill of excitement up Izuku's back. _Is this actually happening? _He couldn't help but wonder as he shifted his arms to better protect her exposed shoulders from the cold. _If all of the past two days has been a dream, it's definitely the best one I've ever had. _

Talking to each other over the shrill whistling of the wind was mostly out of the question, but somehow the silent embrace that they shared over the course of the short trip was made even more special by that fact. He nudged her in the side when they burst through the low-hanging ceiling of clouds, nodding for her to look down and take in the view below; the look of genuine, wide-eyed wonderment on her face made Izuku's heart pound even harder in his chest than it already had been, and he began to silently pray that she couldn't feel it through his cardigan. Then, before he knew it, they were already over the Yaoyorozu manor, and he had to remind himself to slow down before landing so her body wouldn't be shaken half to pieces by the impact. Thankfully, the estate's proximity sensors picked up her DNA on descent, so no burglar alarms sounded like he feared they might when he touched down in the driveway and eased Momo to the ground.

"So, what did you think?"

"That was amazing," she breathed in response, her eyes still wide with excitement and her voice giddy as they strode up to the front door together. "I'm sure you can fly even faster than that on your own, it's incredible how you've adapted to such intense velocities at such high altitudes!" Then Yaoyorozu saw her severely windswept hair reflected in one of the glass window panes and went red all over again, hurriedly producing a brush to straighten it. "I look like such a mess, I hope you can forgive me."

"Mess is the last word on my mind when I look at you, Momo." More and more confident by the minute- admittedly, is was partially the wine speaking- Izuku was starting to like the sound of her first name, how easily it rolled off his tongue. But when she recovered enough from his compliment to fling open the ornately carved front door, and Midoriya followed her into a foyer even more spacious and staggeringly opulent than he remembered, complete with a massive gilded chandelier and a velvet-carpeted grand staircase, suddenly he felt like a second-year high schooler all over again, faced with an impossible final exam. She paused when she noticed him gawking, and for a moment a worried look crossed her face again.

"Is it still too much? I thought this setting might work better for you, but perhaps it's been too long since you've been here…"

"No, no, this is fine!" He quickly replied, holding up his hands. "It's more than fine. I just don't know if I'd ever be able to get used to coming home to a sight like this."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go somewhere else?" Yaoyorozu asked after a moment, watching his face carefully. "I wouldn't mind if we…" She trailed off in embarrassment when her stomach growled loudly midway through her sentence, and Midoriya shot her a knowing look.

"Trust me, this is perfect. Sounds like getting some dinner should be our first priority though, I almost forgot that we never ate anything. Remind me, where's the kitchen?"

"The closest one is over this way!" Slipping her shoes off at the doormat, she waited for Izuku to do the same before leading him down a hall to the left, flipping on light switches along the way. The kitchen was just as sleek and modern as he remembered, but a quick inspection of the stainless steel fridge proved that Momo's parents didn't have much in the way of leftovers at the moment. Before he could even propose ordering in, though, Yaoyorozu was already scrolling through her phone's contacts.

"Just a moment- I'll call the staff over! They can prepare practically any dish you'd want! I've been craving their chicken Florentine in particular lately, some Italian food sounds delicious right now."

"Wait, Momo, hold off on that for a minute." Izuku had just opened the pantry, and was staring at shelves full to the brim with luxury imported ingredients, stretching back for the length of a master bedroom. "Have you… ever actually cooked for yourself?"

"Well… unless you count failed attempts, no." She grinned sheepishly, and leaned against the counter. "I never even came close to touching an oven until I moved out and into my own apartment. Todoroki tried to teach me a few times, but the result was always disaster. It's ironic, isn't it? My quirk means that I know the ingredients of practically any inorganic compound that you could think of by heart, but when it comes to food, I couldn't even begin to tell you what goes into making ramen or katsudon."

"Wait, so what have you been doing for food since you guys split up, then?"

"I go out to eat most nights," she replied, in a confused tone that suggested this answer was perfectly obvious. "When I'm feeling lazy, I tend to order meals, I suppose. And sometimes I come over to visit my parents when I'm missing their chefs' cooking."

_So rich, _Midoriya thought to himself, his eyes wide. To be fair, he was more than wealthy enough to practice the same type of lifestyle if he chose to, but he still cooked most nights to save money out of pure instinct.

"How about I try my hand at showing you the ropes?" He offered, mostly on impulse. "I might not be able to make as fancy of a dish as your chefs, but I know one or two pretty good tricks."

"That sounds lovely!" Momo exclaimed after a moment or two of initial surprise at the proposal. 'Please, though, keep your expectations for me low… I've been known to set off fire alarms."

"Ah, a little risk just makes things more exciting. I'm sure you can't be that bad of a student, given your academic record."

In truth, Izuku owed everything he knew about cooking to his mother, especially the tricks, and his range was generally limited to what she made at home. He'd been experimenting a bit since getting an apartment, though, and with the wine running through his veins, he felt bold enough to attempt making Italian food for what would be perhaps the third time in his life. Pouring himself another glass for good measure, an action Yaoyorozu quickly mimicked, Midoriya took a long sip before plunging into the pantry and returning with two armfuls of ingredients. Florentine sounded a bit too fancy to manage, but he felt reasonably confident about his ability to make a passable chicken parmigiana, and began to assemble the necessary components. Deciding that it would be better to hold her hand through the more difficult tasks than risk explaining to her parents why they'd burned the kitchen down, Izuku flipped the oven fan to its highest setting while Momo ran upstairs to change into something more easily cleanable in the event of spills or stains.

"Alright, now we're going to bread the chicken." He began as soon as she returned, wearing a turtleneck sweater and sweatpants embroidered with her initials, her hair back up in its usual ponytail. Thankfully there's not that much you can mess up on this step, and there's no possibility of starting a fire. Just follow my lead."

Five minutes later, Momo had demonstrated that it was in fact possible to mess up the step in question, in a variety of new and creative ways, though to her credit the kitchen was still fire-free. After several rounds of trial and error and a good deal of mutual laughter, though, she finally mastered the simple process of dipping the chicken in beaten eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs thoroughly enough for them to move on, and they celebrated by taking another sip in unison. Once the chicken was in the pan and surrounded by tomato sauce- she'd only spilled a few tablespoons or so on the counter before he had to guide her hands in pouring the rest- they moved on to the pasta itself, and Izuku carefully showed her the basics of setting the water to boil and slowly pouring in the noodles, with as much literal handholding as figurative. By now they were a great deal more comfortable touching each other than either of them had been during their awkward hug just an hour ago, another factor contributing to Midoriya's persistent hunch that this was all still an elaborate dream.

"So I just stir it like this?" Yaoyorozu asked as he crouched down to peer through the oven window at the progress of the chicken, glancing over at him expectantly.

"Huh? Oh, let me see." As Izuku rose back to his feet, though, he didn't think to check where Momo was standing; it took a moment for him to realize what had happened when the side of his head bounced off of something soft midway up, and Yaoyorozu let out a small noise indicating surprise.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry!"

"No, that's okay, it was an accident!"

Neither of them moved away, though, so their blushing faces were only a few inches apart as they each stuttered out a mix of apologies and reassurances. Then they both drew quiet, and it occurred to Midoriya then that he should probably kiss her. _Shit, this can't be a dream, _he realized, a solitary drop of sweat rolling down his brow as he tried to build up the nerve to lean in. _If it were, this wouldn't feel so terrifying. _As perceptive as ever, Yaoyorozu seemed to realize what was happening, and inched towards him ever so slightly, her gaze flitting between his mouth and eyes.

_Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt. _

Buzzing noisily on the counter, the alarm Izuku had set for the noodles on his phone interrupted them before they could close the gap, though, and they both came back to their senses with a start.

"I'll, uh… I'll get those," he murmured, hurriedly turning back to the pot while Momo glanced around frantically for anything else to occupy her time with.

"I-is there anything else I can help with, Izuku?"

"Sure, we can drain the pasta together!"

Now they were a bit more apprehensive about touching each other, though; it took a few minutes to build up the same level of intimacy again. By that point, the meal was ready, and romance rapidly fell behind food on their respective lists of priorities.

"It's actually edible!" Yaoyorozu cried in excitement as they dug in, wiping a tear of happiness away from her eye.

"More than just edible, I'd say," Midoriya countered wryly between sips of wine. He needed every bit of liquid courage he could handle if he wanted to try something like that again. "See? You're not a bad chef yourself if you try."

"I guess I just needed a _proper _teacher," she replied; Izuku cringed internally at the pointed emphasis on the word 'proper', thinking back to his time with Todoroki yesterday. "But to be fair, you did most of the hard work."

"You were great moral support, though!" Midoriya responded reassuringly, a widening smile on his face. "I think you have a lot of potential! Maybe… uh, maybe I could come by and teach you another recipe sometime?"

"Sure! I…" Suddenly Momo trailed off midsentence, and a conflicted look crossed her face for a few moments before she continued. "I'll have to… see how my schedule looks. But… I think I'd like that."

"Me too."

Once they'd finished dinner and washed the dishes together- another first for her- they were faced with the awkward question of what to do next. They both knew what they wanted to do, but after their previous near-miss, neither of them was bold enough to make the first move. Thankfully, though, the Yaoyorozu mansion had no shortage of distractions, and after a brief tour of some of the facilities, including an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts in the basement, a gym that was easily three times the size of the one Midoriya went to, and a billiards lounge complete with a fully stocked cocktail bar, they finally settled on watching a movie in the theater room, which featured an antique 35 millimeter projector and an expansive archive of the classics.

"So… do you have any recommendations?"

"You're my guest, Izuku, you pick! Everything here is good, mother and father have excellent taste in film."

Midoriya swallowed, glancing nervously about the massive shelf of carefully labeled film reels, sorted by genre, director, and title. While he was very familiar with American superhero movies, there didn't seem to be any present- he hadn't seen or even heard of most of these, but he vaguely recognized the name 'Hitchcock' in one section, and picked one from that row at random.

"Excellent choice!" Momo cried, practically bouncing with anticipation. _"Vertigo _has always been one of my favorites from the late 1950s! What do you think about the ending?"

"Oh, well I… this'll actually be my first time seeing it." Izuku admitted, his cheeks flushed red. "Sorry, I'm pretty uncultured compared to you."

If possible, that only seemed to increase Yaoyorozu's excitement; as soon as she loaded the reel into the projector and set it to play, she took him by the hand and led him to the couch, a thrilled look in her eyes.

"My family and I have seen practically everything in that entire library at least twice, it's such a rare treat to be able to introduce a newcomer to Hitchcock! I'm very much looking forward to hearing your impressions afterward, Izuku!"

As the reel started, and the film's intro began, though, its cinematic and narrative merits were the last thing on Midoriya's mind- much more pressing was the beautiful woman he was sitting only inches apart from, their shoulders practically touching and their fingers still loosely intertwined. It was exactly the scenario he'd seen a hundred times in TV shows and movies, the boy and girl sitting in a theater together, the tension between them steadily rising. _They always kiss in the end, but how am I supposed to know when the right time comes? How long in the movie do I wait? Will I seem desperate if I try at the beginning? Or will she get impatient if I wait until the end? Why are my hands so sweaty?! _

He nearly started muttering to himself out of instinct, but was brought back to reality when the music swelled and Momo shifted in place beside him; her gaze was fixed intently on the screen, so he decided to follow her lead for now and see if the opportunity arose naturally, like earlier. As things turned out, though, the movie was engrossing enough that he completely forgot about his romantic aspirations within a few minutes, fascinated by how different the centuries-old cinematography looked from what he usually watched. They took turns sipping wine straight from the bottle as they watched- an insult to the vintage, perhaps, but Yaoyorozu let it slide. Momo occasionally gave commentary about the history and significance of the setting, actors, and director, all of which he listened to with interest, wishing he'd brought a notebook to write things down. By the time he remembered that he was supposed to kiss her, the movie was almost over, but he was too invested in the plot to risk missing a single scene.

Just minutes later, she ended up making the first move- at the height of the climactic twist, Yaoyorozu let out a soft gasp and cuddled up against Midoriya's chest, laying one hand delicately across his stomach. Whether it was intentional or simply out of reflex, he wasn't certain- her eyes still hadn't moved from the screen, so he quickly judged that pulling her away from the film was still unadvisable. For now, he sufficed with wrapping an arm around her shoulders, an act that prompted her to nuzzle even tighter against him as they watched the ending together. The scent of her perfume returned with a vengeance, so intoxicating that he was hard-pressed to keep his eyes on the screen until the credits began to roll. Hatsume had never been one for girly fragrances, or perfume in general, for that matter- even on date nights, she typically still smelled vaguely of metal and grease from whatever project she'd been working on that day. Not that Midoriya had minded, of course, but a year of that as the norm made what he was experiencing right now doubly intense. Resolving that now was finally the time, he turned to face her, and she did the same. Before he could lean in to execute his plan, though, she began to speak in the same giddy tone as earlier.

"So what did you think?! Tell me everything."

_She really was serious, _he realized with a start. _Why does this feel like a test?!_

"Well, um… I really found the characters interesting, the actors were great! Scottie in particular was really believable. And the genre was so different from what I'm used to… I tend to mainly watch sci-fi or action movies. Maybe next time I could show you one!"

"That sounds nice." Her voice momentarily took on a hesitant tone again, but it quickly faded. "What themes and messages do you think Hitchcock was trying to convey, though? Father and I always get into debates about which societal issues Scottie's obsession represents."

_Oh god, it really is a test! _After a few minutes of minutes of fumbling through a rudimentary analysis of the film, Midoriya finally seemed to have said enough to satisfy Yaoyorozu, who stood and strode over to turn off the projector before he could work up the nerve to try and lean in again. _Wait, did I fail?! _Trying his best to shove the fear that he'd somehow messed everything up to the back of his mind, Izuku rose to his feet as well; he grunted and lowered himself into a stretch when one of the calf muscles he'd strained yesterday began to cramp slightly, and Momo giggled at the sight from across the room.

"Still sore from all that hero work, I see. How about we do something a bit more… physical?"

"I… uh… what do you…" Midoriya's brain promptly short-circuited the moment he processed her question- thankfully, the room was dark enough that she couldn't see how beet-red his face had turned. _I didn't think she'd be so forward… but if she's asking, then… _"Y-yeah, sure! That sounds… nice!" He took a tentative step towards her, only to freeze in confusion when she turned around and began to walk down the hallway.

"Come on, the sports area is down this way! Let's try the bowling alley!"

_Oh. Obviously that's what she meant, Izuku you idiot. There you go again, making rash assumptions. Get your mind out of the gutter. _He let out a slight sigh of disappointment in himself before following after her. Unlike the old films, though, Midoriya was relatively familiar with bowling; he'd gone a few times before, usually with Uraraka, Asui, and Iida back in his U.A. days. At a birthday party during middle school, Kacchan had once caused a minor incident when he cracked a bowling ball in two with his quirk after Izuku pulled ahead of his score for a few frames- Bakugo still won in the end, of course. But regardless of that unpleasant memory, he was beginning to genuinely look forward to playing against Momo for the first time- until she immediately scored a strike with her first throw, that is.

"Wow, that was amazing! Your technique was perfect!"

"Oh, you don't have to flatter me, Izuku! The angle could've been slightly better."

_Even a strike isn't good enough?! _He wondered, beginning to panic slightly as he stepped up to take his turn. It would be simple for him to to add enough strength to his arm with One For All to send the ball plowing straight through the pins in a flash, but seeing as Yaoyorozu wasn't using her quirk to assist herself, he decided to follow her lead. When he leaned down to toss the ball, though, the sweat on his hands made it slip loose of his grip just a fraction of a second too early, and he could only watch as it careened into the gutter, complete with a sad sound effect of defeat from the monitor above.

"Just, ah… slipped." He called back to her with a nervous chuckle- she nodded politely in response. When his second throw only managed to knock down two pins at the far corner of the lane, though, he couldn't exactly use the same excuse again. "It's, ah… been a while for me. Just need to get back into the swing of it. Sorry. I promise, I _have _bowled before."

"It's not a problem at all, Midoriya. Maybe this time I can teach you- watch me carefully, particularly my arms."

Try as he might to look for something special about her throw, Izuku failed to intuit what exactly she was doing different from him as she proceeded to score another strike, aside from simply aiming better. _Is this going to be another test?_

"That was, uh, really impressive. I'd like to learn more about your stance, though. Where did you learn to bowl like that?"

"Here, of course! Father in particular is a wonderful teacher, he occasionally participates in a semi-professional league with his colleagues from work when he has the time. Whenever he was busy or away for travel, I'd often come down here as a child and practice against his previous scores, sometimes for hours. I admit, it was a bit of an obsession of mine for a while. I finally managed to tie his record after a few months, but since those days, I haven't played too much against other people. I tend to take some of the fun out of the game, or so I've been told. I actually came down here hoping that I'd gotten rusty."

"That story is… a bit lonely, isn't it?" He stepped toward her with concern on his face, and laid a hand on her forearm. "You shouldn't have to be alone when it comes to what you're passionate about."

She froze in place at the edge of the lane, and looked up at him with flushed cheeks and curious eyes. By the time Izuku realized how else what he'd just said could be interpreted, and opened his mouth to correct his phrasing, she was already kissing him, and he reciprocated eagerly. She was much more hesitant and gentle than his memories of Mei, who had preferred to practically choke him with her tongue. Not that he had minded that either, but he quickly adjusted to Momo's tempo, wrapping his arms around her back as she ran one hand through his tangle of green and black hair. They went for nearly a minute before breaking apart, and even then, they only exchanged a brief smile before resuming. After a while Izuku slid a hand under the hem of her sweater, and she took a step back out of instinct when his callused palm ran across her smooth stomach. Before he could go any higher, though, a blaring electronic screech sounded overhead- her foot had crossed the line into the lane itself and triggered the alarm. In their surprise and haste to move backward, they tripped over each other and ended up tumbling into the lane together in a tangle of limbs. After a few moments of initial surprise, their laughter quickly drowned out the sound of the alarm, until Yaoyorozu produced a remote from her palm and finally turned it off.

"I never thought something like this would happen in my wildest dreams," Midoriya sighed, laying down beside her on the waxed beige wood and stroking her cheek with one thumb. "Not with you, that is."

"Oh, so you dreamed about me, hm?" She giggled and poked him playfully in the side. "That's very interesting to hear, Midoriya Izuku. I wonder just what you wrote about me in those notebooks of yours."

"N-no, not like that!" He cried frantically, his eyes wide as she continued to laugh mercilessly. "I swear, I never… no, I just meant… I always found you attractive, but… you were always just so perfect and gorgeous, and brilliant. I admired you, but I never thought I had a chance at… at something like this."

"And why wouldn't you have?" She planted another brief kiss on his lips and reached back to let down her ponytail, running her other hand along his chest.

_Because I could tell you liked Todoroki, _Izuku almost said, then thought better of it- it was probably best not to bring up ex-boyfriends in the midst of a moment like this.

"Well, because I was too shy back then, for one. For another, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find you pretty intimidating. You were so smart and capable, I felt for a while like I didn't even…"

_"Were _smart and capable?!" She interjected with a tone of faux horror, a wry smirk playing about her lips. "How rude of you, Midoriya! And to think I was gracious enough to invite you into my home!"

Izuku started to apologize out of instinct, then gradually began to match her expression, and pulled her closer to him.

"How can I make it up to you?"

"I can think of a few ways."

They began to kiss again, even more passionately this time, and Midoriya slid his hand back under her sweater to finish what he'd been interrupted doing the first time. Bigger than Hatsume's by a sizable margin, they were just as soft as he'd imagined, and squeezing one elicited a gasp of pleasure from Momo. The whimpering sound that she made when he reached his other hand beneath her waistband and began to gently probe about with two fingers was enough to drive him halfway to insanity, and when she reciprocated by grabbing onto his groin, he couldn't help but let out a low groan to match her. To say that she was already soaking was an understatement; when Midoriya withdrew his hand, it was glistening with moisture, and she looked up at him with an embarrassed grin on her face.

"So, is that a good start?"

"I'd say so."

"So, bedroom, or…?"

"Here is fine."

"Uh, do I need to go grab a…"

A small pile of neatly wrapped condoms emerged from her palm in a flash of multicolored light before he could even finish his sentence, and Yaoyorozu chuckled.

"Don't worry, that's never a problem with me. Do please continue making it up to me, though."

"I think I can do that," Izuku replied, grabbing the waist of Momo's sweatpants and pulling them down past her feet as she fumbled hastily with his belt.

The sex itself was also vastly different from what Midoriya had grown accustomed to with Hatsume- after all, she was still the only girl he'd ever been with, up until now. To say that Mei's frenetic energy in the workshop carried over to the bedroom was an understatement; she liked it fast and aggressive, with plenty of name-calling, choking, and the like, along with the use of plenty of babies specially designed to enhance both of their experiences. Now, as he made love to Momo on one of the lanes of her parents' bowling alley, Izuku was in entirely uncharted territory in more ways than one. Just as with their kissing, he was steady and cautious at first, waiting for her to direct him. It turned out that slow and intimate was her preferred pace, if her moans of pleasure were any indication, and the revelation was a breath of fresh air.

They didn't exchange many words initially aside from softly muttered profanities, but as time passed and they switched positions more than once, shedding the rest of their clothes along the way- she created a mattress pad to compensate for the hard wooden ground- they gradually began to speak to each other amid the sweaty, passionate embrace. At first, it was a simple exchange of the usual compliments about the other's skill and physical attributes, about how good it felt and what they wanted each other to do. It soon grew past that, though, into a sort of impromptu conversation about their feelings and the future.

"I never want this night to end," Momo was saying as she positioned herself on top of him and began to steadily rock her hips back and forth. "I don't know why I never… _mm. _Why I never… thought about you like this before."

"I don't want it to either," Izuku gasped in response, wrapping a hand around one of her breasts and sliding the other down to the spot just above where they were thrusting into one another- she had to bite her lip to stop from crying out when he found it. "I have a meeting first thing tomorrow, but I don't think I'm gonna make it home tonight. I don't think I want to."

She laughed again, a sweet, lilting sound that he found himself liking more and more, and leaned down to kiss him again, deeply and aggressively. Midoriya couldn't help but let out a groan at the sudden shift of her hips; he wasn't far away from finishing now, but neither was she, judging from her heavy breathing and the way her red-flushed face was slowly twisting in pleasure the longer she rode him.

"My bed has more than room enough for two. I can make you a suit or whatever else you need to wear in the morning. You're staying right here in this house no matter what, for the next few hours, at least."

"I guess I still have a lot of making up to do, huh?" His voice was growing hoarse and his breath hitched; their limbs were a tangle, and their bodies felt like they were slowly becoming one.

"Yes you do, Izuku. Don't think you've won me over yet. You're going to be making this up to me… for a long… oh, _fuck_…"

"Momo… shit, I think…"

They both finished together, in a loud, mutual cry. For a long time afterward, they lay there together, her body draped across his, sharing the silent afterglow of the moment. She'd nearly fallen asleep when he stirred, and finally decided to ask her a question that had been nagging at him all night.

"Hey, Momo."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you really text me yesterday? Not that I don't believe you wanted to catch up, but… why now?"

Her face partially hidden beneath sweat-soaked locks of silky black hair, she remained silent, and it took Midoriya a few moments to realize that there were tears welling up in her eyes.

"Whoa, Momo, are you-" He sat up and reached out a hand to comfort her, but she was already standing by then, gathering up her clothes and moving toward the door. "I-is everything okay? Did I do something?"

"No, it's not you." She paused at the entrance to the hallway, her back to him; he could hear her sniffling. "It's me. I wasn't supposed to… god, Izuku, I'm so selfish. I thought I… I thought I could…"

"What are you talking about?" He rose to his feet and took a step towards her, but she held out a hand, and he stopped in his tracks. _Is this about Todoroki? Does she feel guilty about moving on? _His mind was racing with possible explanations, but nothing seemed to fit how suddenly this had come on.

"It's nothing you need to worry about. Like I said, it's not your fault. I… I'm just an awful friend, that's all you need to know."

"No you're not! Whatever it is, I'm sure we can talk through it, I-"

"It's not that simple. I just… I need some time alone, to think about things." She sounded calmer now, but her tone was one of resignation- she'd already made up her mind. "I'm sorry the night had to end like this, Izuku. I promise, I really did enjoy myself. I hate acting this way without a proper explanation, but…" She sighed, and cradled her head in one hand. "There's a guest bedroom I can show you to if you'd like."

"…Okay. If you're sure that it's alright for me to sleep here. And that there's nothing else I can do to help."

"Of course it is. And I'm afraid not. This is something I have to deal with on my own. Come on, this way."

His clothes bundled in one arm, Midoriya followed Yaoyorozu down the hallway and into the bedroom, where she left him after a few more brief words of parting. As much as he tried, though, he couldn't force himself to fall asleep that night- his thoughts were a ceaseless jumble of guilt, confusion, and despair, too loud and persistent to allow any hint of rest.

He left quietly at 6:00AM, without so much as a sound. As he strode across the dewy morning grass, the towering mansion slowly faded behind him into a haze of mist until it couldn't be seen at all, and it for a brief moment, Izuku wondered again whether it really all had been a dream. Part of him hoped it was, because the reality was much more worrying.

* * *

_**Thus concludes the Momo chapter! This one ended up being a lot longer than I intended initially, but I hope you enjoyed her chemistry and interactions with Izuku! Also, just in case it wasn't clear enough, the waitress was Toga in disguise, but thankfully her plans were foiled due to Deku's sheer awkwardness. I'm not sure yet if all the chapters will be this length, or whether there will ever be sequels to some of these dates- that'll be determined at a later date as the story evolves. I hate to have to end Momo and Deku's date like this, but it seems appropriate for her to feel guilty about betraying Ochako by catching a case of the feels. Let me know what you think in the reviews, and who should go next!**_


	3. Interlude, After a Crescendo

_**Hey, everyone! First of all, major apologies for the long absence. Life got incredibly busy these past three months with university, travel, and my schedule just generally being a lot less forgiving than usual. I've also been working on two other stories simultaneously, which of course always complicates things. Anyway, things have finally calmed down a bit, and this chapter, while shorter than usual, is my way to let you know that I'm still here and intent on seeing this story through. The next one will absolutely be out with a much shorter wait- hopefully 2-3 weeks, depending on how far I try to get on the newest**_** Entropy _chapter in the meantime-_ _check that story out too if you haven't already_! _Regardless, _**_**this one is simply a sampler for what's to come. Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Interlude, After a Crescendo**

"Sorry, but no, no way. I _do not _believe it. Like, I adore you, babe, but never in a _million _years."

Ashido Mina left little room for ambiguity with her reaction to Yaoyorozu's report on the results of her date with Midoriya, her palms laid flat on the table and her face the picture of doubt. They'd ended up at the same bar as before, in a corner booth this time- surprisingly, everyone had been able to make it out again on relatively short notice.

"I also find this entire scenario to be complete bullshit," declared Bakugo, biting down aggressively on a steaming hot chicken wing as he spoke, his brows furrowed in annoyance. "You're good at a lot of things, Moneybags, but lying ain't one. There's no way that loser would put out on the first date. He'd probably piss his pants before he got past second base."

"Okay, one, _rude,_ and two, let's let Momo speak for herself, okay?" Kendo leaned forward to act as the moderator of the rapidly intensifying discussion, holding out one hand towards Katsuki as if he were a feral dog that needed taming.

"I think we all need some clarification, though," piped in Tsuyu. "How exactly did things escalate that far in one night?"

"Did he start crying at any point?" Shinso slurped down the rest of a clump of ramen noodles, then steeped his fingers on the table. "If so, how much?"

"And do you have any evidence to back all these claims up?" Setsuna leaned forward with an eager grin. "Ooh, how were his abs, by the way?"

"I'm with her, pics or it didn't happen." Mina crossed her arms and left it at that, and sitting opposite from Ashido, to say that Yaoyorozu looked overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of questions would be a grave understatement; Jiro laid a sympathetic hand on her back and decided to speak in her place for the moment.

"Easy, guys, let's at least do this one at a time. Clearly, Yaomomo is still reeling from the absolute ecstasy of the experience, so you can't hit her with too much at once right now. Isn't that right?" Kyoka elbowed Momo playfully in the side, but the taller girl only frowned anxiously in response rather than laughing like she expected, lowering her eyes to the table. _Shit, was he actually that good?! _Jiro's eyes widened, and she let out a nervous chuckle. "Come on, you can talk to us, babe. Just walk us through how it got to… that point."

"Well, to begin with…" She took a deep breath, then looked up to meet their curious gaze, her voice still wavering ever so slightly. Kyoka couldn't help but feel that there was something profoundly sad in her eyes as she spoke, but the others didn't seem to notice, listening in enthrallment. "It started off like a fairly normal date. I took him out to a nice dinner at the Imperial Standard, and things were going well after I made a bit of a fool of myself at first, but then we-"

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there, hun." Mina interjected, holding up one hand. "Hold on a second. You took him to _the _Imperial Standard? As in, the highest rated restaurant in Tokyo?!"

"Also the most expensive," piped in Asui. "The _Mainichi_ did a report on it and everything. I've been meaning to go, but it's still a bit out of my budget."

"That's cheating!" Ashido crossed her arms, her face a picture of indignant shock. "Momo, you dirty girl! You _bribed _him into fucking you!"

"Interesting tactic," murmured Shinso, half under his breath.

"So you _do _admit that they had sex?" Setsuna poked Mina teasingly, and the pink-haired hero let out an indistinct grumble before Jiro had to interrupt them.

"Come on, guys, let Momo talk." She nodded encouragingly at the taller girl, then took a long sip of her mule as the table quieted down again, wincing as the muted taste of cheap vodka filled her mouth. _At the rate this is going, I think I'm gonna need every last drop to make it through the night with my sanity intact. _

"Well, like I was saying…" Yaoyorozu continued haltingly, "it was going well at first, or so I thought, at least. The conversation was good, and he was so charming! Much moreso than I expected." A hint of a smile crept momentarily onto her lips, and Kyoka felt her brows lifting in surprise. It was gone just as quickly, though. "…But it turned out that he was actually a bit uncomfortable about the venue- I was such a fool, not considering how he might feel out of place somewhere like the Standard. I still feel horrid about it…"

"Whoa there, that's not your fault." Kendo was the one to intervene on Momo's behalf this time, laying a hand on her arm. "I dunno what Midoriya's problem is, but I for one would be _stoked _if someone took me to a place like that for a date. I love people-watching with celebrities!"

"Says the celebrity!" Chimed in Hagakure, glancing up from her okonomiyaki. "Like three people asked for selfies with you on the way here!"

"That's hardly relevant to the situation," Itsuka replied, her face flushed red behind her beer mug as she lifted it to her mouth. "We aren't talking about me here! Keep going, Momo."

"Well after he told me, we both decided that we should somewhere else. We debated a few places, but we ended up deciding on my parents' mansion."

Tokage whistled in awe, her eyes wide, and Bakugo's scowl grew even deeper.

"Oh that's just great. I'm sure you paid for the private limo too. And for the record, it's just like Deku to whine and complain about something as stupid as not 'feeling comfortable' at a goddamn restaurant. For god's sake…" Shaking his head vigorously, he trailed off and reached for his glass of gin, his liquor of choice for the night, taking a deep sip as Yaoyorozu replied.

"Actually, we didn't exactly drive…" A grin began to spread on her lips again, and Jiro could see her eyes grow wistful. "He flew me there. It was the most breathtaking experience…"

"Oh my god!" Kyoka nearly jumped out of her seat when Toru practically squealed in excitement next to her, her tone giddy. "It's just like Aladdin! That's _sooo _romantic!"

"That… does sound pretty damn cool," offered Kendo, clearly impressed.

"If it even happened," Mina grumbled, prompting Momo to pull out her phone.

"I have pictures, if you'd like to see."

Following a mad scramble by all the girls present for the best position to see the phone's screen, they all gasped in awe on cue when Yaoyorozu began to scroll through a series of breathtaking images of the cityscape; half of them were blurry messes of light and color, but to say that the remainder were stunning was a grave understatement, as far as Jiro was concerned. For a moment Bakugo tried to protest that they could've just been pulled from online or taken from her private helicopter- then she reached the last one, a candid picture of the side of Midoriya's face, his eyes fixed ahead in determination as the moonlit clouds whipped past in a blur behind him. Katsuki promptly turned back to his food, his expression livid but his voice even.

"Well he looks like a fucking dork."

"Why did I never realize that you're just a really pissy tsundere?" Setsuna asked, propping her head on one hand as she gazed in Bakugo's direction with a mischievous grin. "Everything makes perfect sense now about your relationship with him!"

"Use that word to describe me one more time and I'll murder you," Katsuki growled, his knuckles white around his spoon.

"You know you're just proving her point, right?" Tsuyu inquired curiously, though a swift intervention by Itsuka shifted the topic of conversation before Asui and Tokage could tempt Bakugo's wrath any further, to Kyoka's relief.

"Aaannnd moving on, did you have any more photos to show, Momo?"

"Yeah, tell us all the scandalous things you did once you got him alone!" Hagakure plied mischievously, scooting closer to Yaoyorozu on the booth and tugging at Creati's arm with two invisible hands.

"It wasn't like that! Not at first…" Momo murmured, though the second half of her response was much quieter than the first. Her cheeks flushed even more intensely than before, she began to scroll nervously through the rest of her gallery, landing next on a series of photos of Midoriya in various stages of cooking a meal in one of her numerous kitchens.

"So you've managed to domesticate him already?" Across the table, Shinso stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Impressive."

"I helped him a bit towards the end," she added once they reached the photo of the final product, a plate of chicken parmigiana and spaghetti that didn't actually look half bad, as far as Jiro was concerned. _God, when's the last time I actually cooked something beyond the bare basics? Maybe I can get him to make something for me too when it's my turn… _Kyoka caught herself before she got too far along in her brief daydream about Deku in a chef's apron in her apartment's cramped kitchen, and forced herself to take a long sip of her cocktail to clear her head. _Who am I kidding, I hope it's someone else next. I don't need the stress of trying to impress the number three hero in my life on top of everything that's already fucked up. Right?_

"So how did it taste?" She asked, trying her best to distract herself from the lingering thought. "I don't think I've had actual Italian food since we all went to Tonio's for Toru's birthday last year."

"Absolutely delicious," Momo replied, her expression bashful and nostalgic all at once, a combination cute enough to make even Kyoka's heart skip a beat. _God, if things keep going the way they do with men lately, I might have to marry this girl after all. _"It was certainly the best food that I've had outside my family chefs' cooking in years, thought in hindsight that may have partially been the wine talking… We did go through a bottle of Bordeaux together."

"Ahhh, so there was alcohol involved, huh? Now it all makes sense." Leaning in on Momo's other side, Jiro poked her playfully in the side before transitioning to a merciless tickle, prompting a peal of choked, mirthful laughter in response as her own expression grew sinister and mischievous. "I'm starting to think Mina's right, you _were _trying to seduce him."

"Wine was quite the risqué decision," Setsuna chimed in in agreement, her lips twisted in a smirk to match Kyoka's. "That stuff gets me tipsier faster than anything else, and hornier too. Last time I drank a bottle alone with a guy was after a mission with Juzo…"

"…and we all know how that turned out," Tsuyu finished matter-of-factly, one finger perched on her chin as she eyed Tokage bemusedly. It was common knowledge among the circle of girls that she'd had a few spur of the moment, on-and-off flings with Honenuki, but no serious relationship had yet resulted between the two former Class B members.

"Well I say wine's for pussies," Bakugo muttered, half aloud and half under his breath- he was roundly ignored as the table's focus remained on Momo.

"And what exactly did you two do while you were _under the influence, _hmm?" Jiro didn't relent in her interrogation, her grin only growing wider by the moment. "I think we'd all love to know."

"We just watched a movie!" Yaoyorozu protested, tears of laughter flowing down her scarlet-flushed cheeks as she finally wrested Kyoka's hands away from the hem of her lacy top. "And then bowled a bit in my private alley! And then, well…" Momo paused to take a long, deep sip from her own drink, a Cosmopolitan, before continuing. "To be quite honest, things… _may_ have gotten a bit out of hand after the bowling…"

"_Details, _babe. Details are key." Feeling the effects of her drink a bit more strongly than before, Kyoka wrapped an arm around Momo's shoulder and gave the taller girl her best puppy eyes. "Pretty please?"

"Well… we sort of… might have…" Still fumbling with her words, Momo eventually resorted to pulling out her phone once more, and swiped to the most recent picture, another selfie. Halfway poised for another tickle, Jiro's breath hitched in her chest, and she felt her jaw fall open in shock. _Holy shit, she really wasn't kidding. Not that I doubted her, but just… _

_"Holy shit,"_ Kyoka breathed, her eyes still fixed on the picture- they were the only words she could manage for the moment. Momo's face was center-stage in the image, with the embarrassed yet gleeful smile on her face half-hidden behind sweat-soaked locks of black hair. Though only her shoulders and part of her chest were visible, she was very clearly naked, and laying on top of someone at that- his face wasn't entirely visible from this angle, but she could make out a a hint of messy green-and-black hair at the corner of the frame, along with part of a closed eye and the familiar freckles on his cheek. The undisputable proof, though, came in the form of the boy's arm, which was draped over Yaoyorozu's back- and crisscrossed with Midoriya's instantly recognizable scars.

"That's hot," Asui declared bluntly, before the table rapidly descended into madness and chaos. Hagakure squealed even more loudly than before, Setsuna yelled out a brief string of profanities, and Ashido simply stared in utter disbelief for several long moments before letting out a long wail of defeat and jolting up from her seat. She started off towards the bar without so much as a glance back towards them, only to be rapidly joined by Bakugo as she called out to the bartender.

"Yo Shinji, I'm gonna need one… no make that two bottles of sake, on the double! Whichever one you think is best from recovering from life's cruelties."

"You kidding me, loser?! I need to forget that this ever happened, there's no way sake's strong enough! Lemme get a bottle of gin… fuck, make it absinthe! And some bleach, for my eyes!"

Itsuka, for her part, maintained a stunned yet respectful silence, while Tsuyu wasted no time launching into a round of increasingly specific questions about the juicier details of the experience, including Izuku's size, duration, and average speed, egged on by Toru and Shinso. Only Jiro and Kendo's combined intervention proved enough to convince them to let up; amid peals of laughter, though, Kyoka couldn't help but notice that for a few brief flashes between her embarrassment, Momo expression grew distant and plaintive, even verging on distraught- but never long enough for any of the others to notice. _What exactly happened between you two? _The proper opportunity to pry further refused to present itself, though, and Jiro forced herself to push the thought to the back of her mind for now. _I'm probably just overthinking things. She's overwhelmed, that's all… right?_

For a short while it seemed as if Mina and Katsuki might intend to remain isolated at the bar in their liquor-fueled recovery process, but when Momo finally produced the set of sticks necessary for their game from her purse, a shout from Setsuna was all it took to summon them back to the both.

"Looks like two alcoholic sore losers are gonna miss the next drawing if they don't get their asses back over here!"

"I resent the alcoholic comment," Ashido hiccupped, sipping sake straight from the bottle as she sidled back over toward them. Bakugo slunk dejectedly behind her with his absinthe in hand, his face fixed in a scowl and his cheeks flushed crimson- whether it was from anger, embarrassment or simply the booze, Jiro wasn't entirely certain. Regardless, their brief, self-imposed exile came to a swift end, and soon enough everyone aside from Toru and Momo had their sticks in hand. Even from across the table, Kyoka could hear Mina muttering _'redemption, redemption, redemption' _under her breath as Hagakure led the countdown to the reveal, a sight so amusing that she forgot to turn her own over until everyone else's eyes were already on her.

"Oh! Sorry, uh…" Fumbling with the stick, Jiro glanced down at the result, only for her eyes to widen once more at the sight of a crown. _"Oh."_

"_Why has all my luck abandoned me?" _Ashido sobbed before Kyoka could process the development any further, tears streaming from her eyes as she took Asui by the shoulders and began to shake her back and forth- as usual, she was an emotional drunk. _"Whyyyy, Tsu?! Whywhywhywhywhyyyyy? I'm gonna be dead last at this rate! It's not fair, I'm so sexy, I know I am, I should've wonnnnn!" _She swiftly snatched back her bottle of sake before Tsuyu could even begin to reply and collapsed back in the booth like a baby with a bottle, cradling it in her arms like a precious treasure even after she was done drinking from it. "At least booze never betrays me… and I still have plenty of handsome matches!" Some of the light returning to her face as she swung back from despair to bargaining, Mina sat back up and pulled out her phone, navigating back to the app that had started it all. "That's right, these guys will steal treat me like a goddess! They'll bow and scrape at my feet just for a chance at a date with me!"

"Some goddess," Tokage sniggered. "What's the use in divine sex appeal if you can't even beat us lowly mortals in a simple contest? Sounds pretty useless to me."

"_That's so mean!" _Mina pouted, tears welling up in her eyes once more. "This whole thing is about luck, not skill! It's like I said, it's not fair at all! If we really wanted to make this balanced, we should go in order of previous body count…"

"…Moving on to our winner," Kendo interjected, giving Jiro a sympathetic glance, "I must admit I am curious to hear how she plans to top Momo's out-the-gates home run. Any ideas in mind, Kyoka? I'm sure that _most_ of us would be willing to offer some unbiased feedback if you want to brainstorm."

"I would say none, but I feel like that's not doing the situation enough justice," Jiro mumbled- now it was her turn to be bashful. All but certain that with her shoddy luck she wouldn't be chosen, she hadn't even begun to come up with anything resembling a proper date plan- aside from the brief fantasy about Midoriya cooking for her, which was of course far too embarrassing to vocalize. "Is it possible to have a number of ideas below zero? Because I think I'm at about negative four."

"Well don't worry," Tsu butted in, "I'm pretty sure we can help you with that. I don't know about you guys, but I've got a pretty long list going already."

"Before we get to all that," Momo piped up, draining the rest of her Cosmo, "my drinks are free starting tonight, correct? Because I think I'm going to need a few more."

"You and me both," muttered Setsuna, who glanced around for a moment before her gaze settled on the same young waiter that had served them last time- he'd just finished taking the order of the booth next to theirs, and was over in a flash the moment Tokage raised her arm, his smile almost uncannily wide and eager.

"How can I help you, ma'am?"

"I'll take a... margarita, and another Cosmo for her." She gestured to Momo with a wink. "Anyone else want something?"

"Another beer for me," called Itsuka.

"And another Moscow mule over here," Kyoka added hurriedly. "Actually, I'll switch it up... how about a whiskey sour?"

When no one else spoke up, the waiter was about to take his leave, until Tokage held up her hand again, an inspired, devious gleam in her eyes. "Actually, our friend Jiro here needs some... _boy _help with a crush of hers. You think you could help her out with some advice on what kind of first dates guys typically like?"

"Sure!" The young man beamed, even as Jiro tried her best to stammer out an objection to the sudden turn of events. "Maybe tell me a bit about the guy first." Then his gaze met hers, and despite his gleeful, blushing expression, Kyoka couldn't help but feel a shiver run up her spine as she looked into his mesmerizing golden eyes. "Seems to me like he must be pretty special."

* * *

**_And we're back, with the long awaited discussion and fallout of Momo's (very successful) date with Midoriya. Let me know where you guys want to see this go next in the reviews, and what you thought of how everyone responded! You get a million cool points if you can spot the anime reference in Mina's reaction to losing the draw. Jiro's full date should be coming up pretty soon, I just thought it deserved its own chapter slot since it's pretty narratively distinct from all this. Also, just a quick reminder that the waiter is not who he seems to be, in case you forgot over the course of the hiatus. Until next time, which should be in 2-3 weeks or so!_**


	4. Heavy Metal Riff, Part I

**Chapter 4: Heavy Metal Riff, Part I**

"So, how's everything looking for tonight? Feeling nervous at all?"

"Ah… well, I'd like to say no, but that'd obviously be a lie." Jiro rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, then took a deep gulp from her cup of coffee before glancing back up to meet Yaoyorozu's eyes. "I mean, everything's planned, the concert tickets are bought, but I have no idea how this is going to go. That's why I wanted to talk to you first."

The café Kyoka had chosen for their meeting was quiet and quaint, with a homey aesthetic and wood-paneled walls and smooth classical music playing over the speakers. Given the current circumstances, it felt a bit more calming than the louder, brasher, indie-rock style haunts that she typically frequented, not to mention that it was much more Momo's speed. Creati was currently cradling her mug of tea in both hands, waiting patiently for it to cool between tentative sips; though her expression showed only worry on her friend's behalf, Jiro knew by her body language that something beyond mere polite concern was bothering her. _Just like last time, huh? _

"Hmm, so you'd like some advice, then? On how to successfully seduce our target?" Here Yaoyorozu attempted a smile, but Jiro could tell that it was hollow.

"No, not really. Unlike some people in this weird-ass game, don't have any particular intent of sleeping with him- or doing anything particularly intimate, for that matter. I mean, it'll be nice to get to know him better. I don't mind that. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm still doing this for Ochako. My own desires are secondary to hers. Not that what you did is wrong!" Kyoka was quick to add, when she saw Momo's gaze sinking to the table and her expression growing heavy with regret. "I'm insanely proud of you for going out there and getting it! But… I mean… I just want to understand what really happened between you two. If I should be expecting anything…" She trailed off, searching for the right word, then reached out and laid a hand on Yaoyorozu's arm. "Momo, did he… do anything to hurt you?"

"No!" She replied almost instantly, her eyes growing wide with alarm as they rose up to meet Jiro's once again. "No, no, he did nothing of the sort. He was a perfect gentleman the whole evening through. More than perfect…"

"So what happened, then?" Kyoka interjected, keeping her voice as quiet as she could so as not to earn the ire of the café's other patrons, many of whom were tapping away diligently at their laptops, even at five in the afternoon on a Friday. Half a week had passed since their last meeting, and her date with Midoriya was only a few short hours away- after this, she still had to head back to her apartment and change into something that was both concert-appropriate and PG enough not to give Izuku the wrong impression about her intentions, a task she was thoroughly dreading.

"Please," she continued, leaning in across the table so she could convey the urgency in her tone without shouting, "you don't have to lie to me. I've known you for six years, Momo and I don't think either of us has ever kept a secret from the other- so trust me when I say that I can tell when something's wrong. Look, I get it if you can't talk about it with the others, but I promise, you can tell me."

Yaoyorozu gently set her mug back on the table, and cradled her head in both hands. Silence reigned for a long moment, and when she finally spoke, her voice was full to the brim with worry and remorse, the bright red tint of her cheeks visible even through her fingers.

"I… I think I really like him, Kyoka. I don't know what to do."

"…Oh," Jiro breathed a beat later, somehow both relieved and disappointed at once by the simplicity of the answer. "Huh. Well that… sort of complicates things."

"I'm very aware," Momo replied, and suddenly Jiro was incredibly glad that they their table was partially tucked away behind a bookshelf, because Yaoyorozu looked ready to burst into tears at any moment by now. "I… I can't believe myself, Kyoka. _I _was the one who proposed all this, for Ochako's benefit, but after just a few hours with him, I was more than ready to forget about her entirely and keep him all for myself. I just feel so… so _selfish. _I didn't think…"

"That you'd fall for him so quickly?" Jiro finished, a sympathetic hint of a grin on her lips. "Momo, if we've learned anything about relationships over the past few years, isn't it that you can't control love?" Setting down her coffee, she wrapped one hand around the taller girl's forearm. "You were trying to do something nice. It isn't your fault that things turned out this way- you couldn't have predicted how well the date would go. Now we just have to decide where to go from here."

"Where I go from here is obvious," Yaoyorozu sighed. "I give the advice to Ochako as we originally planned. I apologize to Izuku for my inappropriate behavior, and ask that he forgive me for-"

"For what? Treating him to the best time he's had in years?" Kyoka raised a skeptical eyebrow, and lowered her voice even further, her eyes flitting around to make sure none of their classmates had just burst in unannounced in the last few minutes. "Look, babe… I love Ochako, I really do. But she's had eight months of him being single to make a move, and she hasn't done it. Why should her interest in him take priority over yours in the first place?"

"Because… because we agreed," Momo protested, her eyes wide with shock at Jiro's implication. "We all agreed that this was all for her benefit! She deserves to be happy with him!"

"That was the pretext, yes. But do you really think that Tsu and Mina are thinking about Uraraka's feelings first when they brag about what they're gonna do with him when it's finally their turn? It seems to me like they've both been thinking about Midoriya for a while now, you just gave them the excuse they needed to act on it. I'm sorry to break it to you, but the moment this became a competition, the concept of helping Ochako went out the window for half the participants."

"Oh god, you're right… I should never have let Mina change things like that. It's my fault no matter which way you look at it." Yaoyorozu sat up straight, as if waking from a daydream, and suddenly her hand darted into her purse, plucking out her phone. "I need to call the whole thing off right now, apologize to everyone for making such a horrendous mistake…"

"No, you don't need to any of that," Kyoka declared, grabbing hold of Momo's hand and guiding it gently back down to the table before she could start typing. "How about this instead- I go on the date with Midoriya tonight as planned, and I put in a good word for you, tell him about how much you'd love to meet up again. I can gauge how he's feeling about you, and report back with up-to-date intel. The two of us are officially taking over this competition, and I'm gonna help make sure that you end up with Deku."

"But… it just seems so dishonest." Yaoyorozu objected in exactly the way Jiro expected she would, her wide, innocent eyes gleaming with guilt. "To have set all this up only to try and rig it in my own favor… and what happened to putting Ochako's interests first? I thought that's what you were planning on doing tonight?"

"That was before I found out about this little predicament of yours," Kyoka noted, sipping pointedly at her coffee. "Like I said, I love that girl, but you come first. Just think about it, Yaomomo- you made it further with Midoriya in one night than she has in _six years, _and you weren't even _trying _to sleep with him! And don't say she hasn't had the opportunity- all it took for you to make that happen was one text and the right chemistry." She sighed a heavy sigh, set down her cup, and clasped Momo's hands between her own, staring into Creati's conflicted eyes. "Look, the hard truth is, maybe Uraraka and Midoriya just aren't meant to work out. But him and you? I saw how happy you looked in those photos. Those were some serious sparks for a first date. You and I have both been burned by love before, but maybe this is your chance to get it right. Do you get what I'm saying here, babe?"

"I… think I understand." Yaoyorozu responded quietly, her cheeks once more a bright red and her mouth wavering somewhere between excitement and dismay. "But… I still don't want to hurt Ochako. If Izuku and I were actually to start dating, what could I possibly tell her?"

"I was thinking about that too. It would be a dick move to leave her high and dry and heartbroken for a third time, I agree- even if it is her own fault, technically speaking. So why don't we set her up with someone else while we're setting you up with Midoriya? I'm sure we can find someone perfect for her out there- let's think about the guys from our old class, for starters. Iida's with Nejire, but Shoji and Koda are still single, right?"

"I… don't know if they're quite her type, based on past experience. Shoji is quite minimalist, and she tends to enjoy being doted on, even if she doesn't readily admit it. Koda's incredibly sweet, on the other hand, but his animals will always come first and foremost in his mind."

"Hmm, you're probably right. That leaves, uh, who else… she gets along pretty well with Aoyama, right?"

"I don't know if she's _his _type."

"…Very good point." Jiro concurred after a moment's thought, flushing red in embarrassment at the idiocy of her suggestion. "Um… is Yoarashi from Shiketsu single? He's got… _passion,_ right?" Momo's expression hardly provided an encouraging reaction, and for a moment Kyoka was on the verge of conceding defeat, before a sudden possibility presented itself. "_Wait! _What about that guy from Ketsubutsu, the earthquake dude, the one who looks _just _like Midoriya?"

"Oh, you mean Shindo? I've run into him a few times at work, we talked just the other week." Retrieving her phone from the table, Yaoyorozu wasted no time opening one of her social media apps and pulling up a photo of the black-haired Izuku doppelganger smiling broadly in front of the castle at Disney Tokyo, his arm wrapped around a vaguely familiar looking girl with sharp, pointed teeth and two tufted blonde ponytails. "As of two days ago, he's still happily dating Tatami- also from Ketsubutsu, if you remember her. The one who can pull her limbs into her body." Momo added the last part when Jiro produced nothing but a blank stare in response, and finally it clicked in Kyoka's mind.

"Ah yeah, that girl. Her quirk always kinda creeped me out, to be totally honest, but whatever. They can keep their loving relationship." She chuckled grimly, mulling briefly over the benefits of remaining single forever before returning to the topic at hand. "Well, aside from him… God, I know we're forgetting someone, right?"

As if on cue, the faint jingle of a bell announced that someone new had entered the café. Facing the door, Kyoka couldn't help but glance up out of instinct as the two new patrons approached the counter- her eyebrows nearly shot through the roof when her gaze settled on Sero and Tokoyami, chatting amicably as they discussed what drinks to order.

"H-hey! Guys, over here!" A lightbulb flashing bright and loud in her head, he shot up from her chair almost instantly, waving them down before they'd even had a chance to talk to the cashier.

"Yo, look who it is!" Hanta called in reply, a wide grin on his face as he made his way toward their table with Fumikage trailing behind. "Fancy meeting you guys here! It's been way too long."

Sero had matured a good deal since his U.A. days, his hair tied up in a neat black ponytail and his ears studded with matching onyx stones. Simply put, Tokoyami was still Tokoyami, dressed in a black leather coat over a black shirt with matching black jeans, with a silver ankh pendant and dark purple scarf hung around his neck. Tsukuyomi the hero had grown rather famous in recent years, though, as had Cellophane, and both of the former 1-A students drew fascinated stares and hushed whispers from the other customers as they pulled up chairs to the girls' modestly sized table.

"It's good to see you two," Tokoyami commented, making his best attempt at a friendly grin. "What a coincidence that we'd find you here- this isn't my usual type of haunt, after all. I was growing worried that Hanta had led us astray…"

"Hey, I read an article that highly recommended this place!" Sero protested with a chuckle, shaking his head. "This food columnist I love said they have amazing desserts here. That true, ladies?"

"Absolutely!" Momo replied eagerly- judging by her joyful, innocent expression, she hadn't picked up on Kyoka's plan yet. "The cheesecake is especially delicious, as is the pistachio tart. It has the most delicious cream filling!"

"Sounds a bit too sweet for me," Tokoyami muttered in reply, casting a suspicious glance at the menu. "I'll probably make do with a black coffee. I trust they have good blends here?"

"I'm more of a tea person myself. Kyoka, what do you think?"

"Oh, it's all good," Jiro replied, leaning in a bit further towards the boys as a conspiratorial grin played about at the edges of her lips. "But drinks and food aside, I have a proposal for you two, if you're willing to hear me out. How do you guys feel about Uraraka?"

* * *

_Two Hours Later, the Same Evening_

_Shinjuku Ward, Deku's Hero Agency_

"Oh god… what the hell do people even wear to concerts, anyway?!" Midoriya Izuku couldn't help but mutter to himself aloud as he stood in front of his closet's full-length mirror, holding button down shirts in either hand. One was plain grey and the other was blue and covered in an elaborate floral pattern, but after nearly ten minutes of contemplation, he didn't have the faintest idea which one better suited the date he was about to be running late for.

_No, wait, _he quickly reminded himself, muttering his thoughts under his breath. _This isn't a date. Yes, she invited you to a concert, and yes, it's going to be just the two of you, but that doesn't mean anything about what she's expecting! It would be improper to make assumptions! _

Izuku's dilemma had begun around three days ago. He'd been mid-workout at his favorite gym when he received yet another text from yet another old U.A. acquaintance- this time, Jiro Kyoka, now better known as Earphone Jack, the Punk Rock Hero. She had done well for herself in the time since her graduation; though she was still working for Gang Orca, she was perhaps the most famous sidekick in the country, with several indie records to her name and her own line of merchandise- her t-shirts, headphones, and hoodies were becoming especially popular among the current generation of pre-teens. Jiro had a fan following that nearly rivaled Midoriya's own in terms of size, though for the most part they tended to care more about her music than about her heroics. So when Kyoka had first texted him, explaining that a friend had bailed and she had an extra ticket to a high-profile downtown concert, Izuku had been beyond excited to see her again. It had been nearly four months since they last crossed paths at work, after all, and almost a year since they'd been together in a casual setting, for Kaminari's last birthday party.

But then he remembered the disastrous end that had occurred the last time he spent an evening alone with a former classmate, and the worrying started anew. Momo hadn't gone so far as to ghost him since their eventful night together as he feared she might, but her texts were cryptic and evasive, dodging the question or changing the subject whenever he tried to ask what had gone wrong, or if she'd like to meet again to talk things over. Eventually, he'd given up trying to decipher the situation entirely. Despite her insistences to the contrary, Deku had resigned himself to the fact that he must have done or said _something _wrong at some point- she was just too kind to admit it. Now, the prospect of accidentally ruining another friendship with another woman he respected was on the horizon, and he had no idea what to do. In the end he had accepted her invitation- against his better judgement, perhaps- but three days later he was no closer to deciding how he should act, or what he should say. Earlier today he'd texted her and asked where at the venue he should meet her, but aside from that and figuring out a few other trivial details, they'd hardly even talked since agreeing to go together, perhaps partly out of his fear to text her first and seem overbearing.

_That's just another sign that this is just an outing as friends, _he reassured himself, his inner monologue rapidly turning to pessimism and despair. _In fact, I was probably one of her last choices to go with. I bet everyone else is busy tonight, so she had to resort to inviting me if she didn't want to go alone. _A frown spreading across his face, he opened one of the half-dozen social media apps on his phone that he checked only once in a blue moon and posted on perhaps annually, if at all. Jiro's story was the first to pop up, updated just an hour ago- he clicked on it out of instinct, and was promptly treated to a group selfie, taken by Kyoka at what looked to be a café. She was front and center, flashing a peace sign and making a heart with her jacks as Sero smiled broadly on her right and Tokoyami brooded aggressively on her left. His heart skipped more than one beat when his eyes drifted to the edge of the photo, where Yaoyorozu was smiling bashfully on the other side of the table.

"Oh," he mumbled aloud, his face flushed red and his eyes wide. Never a huge fan of social media in the first place, he'd been taking special care to avoid Momo's posts over the past few days, mostly in an attempt to move on from whatever happened between them. Izuku had almost convinced himself that he was over it, but the heavy pounding of his heart at the mere sight of her looking happy and fulfilled made it perfectly clear that this wasn't even close to the case.

"Dammit," he muttered softly, closing his phone and screwing shut his eyes. _Seems like they're having fun together. She's probably telling them all about how colossally I fucked things up, about what a creep I am. I wouldn't be surprised if Jiro texted to call off the concert any minute now. _

The thought had already crossed his mind that Yaoyorozu might warn her friend to be wary of him- the two had shared everything since their days at U.A., so why not this latest development too? Who was to say that Kyoka wouldn't burst out laughing at the sight of him, that this wasn't all some sort of elaborate prank to get back at him for hurting Momo? He shuddered at the thought, and did his best to push it out of his mind, glancing back to the two forgotten shirts that he'd set on a nearby chair. _Well, guess I need to pick what I'm wearing to my funeral. _

Not a moment after he started towards them, though, his phone began to buzz in his palm- a call, from Uraraka. Some of the heavy weight bearing down on his chest suddenly lifted, and he answered without hesitation, a smile spreading instinctively across his face.

"Hey Ochako, how's it going?"

"Everything's normal over here!" She answered cheerfully; the thrill of hearing her voice through the speakers was just as potent as it had been six years ago. "I saw you in the headlines yesterday! You really nailed that group of Yakuza, huh? Sounds like it was crazy!"

"Ah, it was nothing," he responded earnestly, ambling absentmindedly out of the closet and towards his bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows as he talked. Though he had a separate apartment, he kept his own set of living quarters here at the agency- they had come in handy countless times after late work nights. "I mean, Lemillion did more than me for sure, he was amazing! And Miruko was brilliant too, did you see her interview afterward? She's hilarious!"

"Yeah," Uraraka chuckled, "they're both super cool. Your interview was good too, though! But I was meaning to ask you…" Here her voice grew noticeably hesitant, and her tone anxious. "Are you, um… do you have any plans tonight? I heard there's this awesome new bar with an outer-space theme that opened over in Shinjuku, and I'm about to be on assignment for a while with Ryukyu, so this is the only day I'm gonna be free to stop by there for at least a week. I, uh… I know you're super busy, and I would usually ask Hagakure or Asui, but it's Toru's date night with Mashirao, and Tsu said she's still got some work to wrap up. And, um… since it's near your agency, I sort of figured that maybe… we could go?"

"Oh, uh…"

Midoriya frowned, silently cursing the fact that he was already committed. He was always happy to see Ochako when he had the chance- she and Iida had been by his side since the beginning, and he often lamented that Ryukyu and Uravity's agency was so far from his own. As far as he could tell, she'd been keeping just as busy as him if not busier over the last few years, and he was increasingly certain that she'd go pro on her own sometime soon.

"I'm really sorry, but I'm already busy tonight- I'm going to a concert, actually!"

"O-oh, really?" He tone rose once more in excitement. "That's so cool! Just by yourself?"

"No, with Jiro, actually! Apparently it's one of her favorite bands!"

"…Oh!" Came Ochako's response, her voice hitting a sudden high note. "H-how's she doing?"

"Pretty well, I think!" He answered with a wide smile. "She's been killing it lately in the popularity polls, and her newest song was great too. I'll have to ask her tonight to find out for sure, though!"

"You're… a pretty big fan of hers, huh, Deku?"

"I guess you could say that, yeah!" Izuku replied cheerfully, raising one eyebrow in slight confusion. _I mean, of course I am, _he reflected with a grin. _I'm a fan of all of my former classmates!_

"Well it's really great that you're getting to see her, then. I hope… I hope you two have fun on your date."

"…Date?"

_Oh, wait._

The revelation hit Midoriya all at once- the recollection of how Uraraka had once confessed her feelings to him, combined with the impression that his plans with Kyoka gave. His cheeks once more flushed red and his eyes grew wide, and he nearly dropped the phone from his hands in a panic.

"Wait, Ochako, no! It's not like that!"

"Sure it's not," She countered whimsically, though he couldn't help but notice that there was a strange tone to her voice, like it was forced somehow. "Try not to go too crazy, lovebird."

"No, you've got it wrong, we-"

The dull click of the dial tone announced that Uraraka had hung up before he had a chance to finish his sentence, and Midoriya collapsed to the floor with a groan of despair. _Just my luck, _he mused, casting a despondent glance to the pile of chaos that was his outfit plan. _Girls finally start wanting to hang out with me, and then this happens. I need to call her back and explain, but… _

Deku glanced at the time- he had to get moving, or he'd risk running late for the concert. Jiro had pointedly emphasized the fact that the opener was great too, so he'd allotted extra time to make sure he would be early. It was true that he could always fly instead of taking the train if things got too dire, but as of late he'd been trying to cut back on his usage of One For All for personal transportation except when absolutely necessary- his date with Momo had been an exception, of course. _'I think there was a misunderstanding,' _he typed out hastily with one hand as he threw on the patterned shirt and grabbed a belt for his khakis with the other. _'I have to go now, but I promise I'll explain later'. _

By the time he made his way out door five minutes later, she still hadn't responded. The same was true after thirty minutes, as he stepped off the train and into the chaotic, neon-illuminated bustle of Shinjuku Ward at dusk, but given the chatter of the crowds, calling her again was practically an impossibility. Many of the local businesses had finally let out for the day, and drunken throngs of businessmen in suits were a common sight as Izuku glanced down at the maps app on his phone and did his best not to get horribly lost, as had been known to happen on more than one occasion. The destination in question was a former industrial warehouse that had been converted into a combination bar, club, and concert venue, tucked away on a side street that he'd never ventured down, Not a moment after he turned on to it, the groups of neatly dressed salarymen dissipated, rapidly replaced by a slightly less well kempt crowd. Groups of tattooed youths smoked and drank outside mahjong parlors and convenience stores, though the loud volume of their conversations tended to die down as the country's number three hero passed by, and they stared at him in shock or suspicion. Midoriya felt more self-conscious than ever under their gaze, his prim and preppy outfit sticking out like a sore thumb amid their leather jackets and ripped jeans. More than once he fell into an involuntary fit of coughing when he passed too close to their clouds of cigarette smoke, prompting hysterical laughter on multiple occasions.

Muttering a few words of thankfulness under his breath when his phone finally buzzed with the notification that he'd reached his destination, he looked up at the building in question, then quickly looked back down in confusion. _Is this really the right address?_ The warehouse's exterior looked decrepit and abandoned to say the least, with all its windows either broken, boarded up, or tinted black. There was no visible entrance, or sign of any human activity within, besides a few faint vibrations that could have been coming from anywhere on the block. _I must have put it in wrong, _he concluded, searching up and down te block. There was practically nothing else open within view, only dim, shuttered apartments and a single tobacco store with a '10 minute break' sign hung up in the window. A few teenagers were chattering down by the nearest corner, and after shooting Jiro a quick text to update her on the situation, Midoriya was in the process of talking himself into asking them for directions when a hand tapped playfully on his shoulder from behind.

"Don't worry, Midoriya you're not lost." Kyoka shot him a bemused grin, holding up her phone with his text still on the screen. "I know it doesn't look like much, but just wait 'til we get inside."

"Wha- how did you…" He looked down at her, dumbfounded, then glanced to either end of the backstreet. "How'd you do that?! I didn't see you coming at all!"

"Let's just say I've got a pretty good lay of the area," she replied, flicking a half-finished cigarette into the nearest garbage can before nodding over towards a slightly cracked door on the other side of the street, next to the tobacco shop. Though he'd taken the place for abandoned given its shuttered windows and lack of an exterior sign, dim light was visible from inside through the narrow opening, and faint voices drifted out into the evening air. "Believe it or not, there's a pretty solid little café inside that dump- sort of a local secret."

"Oh! I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long!" He cast a panicked glance down toward the time on his phone- he was six minutes early, but she might have been earlier still.

"Ah, don't sweat it, I was just chilling and grabbing a cup of coffee. Now follow my lead, and don't say anything unless he asks you to."

Before he could so much as voice his confusion, she was walking past him and toward a heavy metal door set into the side of the warehouse, shut tight and covered in graffiti, with no visible means of access from the outside. She knocked confidently, and as they waited for a reply, he had the chance to glance down at her outfit for the first time; Jiro was wearing a beaten and torn yet still stylish jean jacket over a black and red top emblazoned with the band's name and logo, a flaming silver skull surrounded by a rain of blood. Beneath that were short black shorts and matching leggings, the latter of which sported a series of symmetrical cuts along the sides. The cuffs and collar of her jacket were adorned with short silver spikes, and even Kyoka's makeup was a far cry from what she normally wore- she had dark red wings stretching outward from her eyes, and her lipstick was a deep, glossy midnight black.

"You look really cool tonight, Jiro!" As had happened all too often on his previous date, Midoriya suddenly found himself talking without thinking, and had to swiftly come up with a follow-up when she glanced curiously back in his direction. "The spikes are, uh, super hardcore! And your makeup looks good too!"

Kyoka's cheeks flushed faintly red, but he didn't have a chance to hear her reply before a slat on the metal door slid open at eye level, its presence hidden entirely by the graffiti when it wasn't being used. A pair of suspicious eyes gazed out at them, but they quickly grew more at ease when they saw Jiro, and with a dull _thunk _and steady metallic creak, the door slowly began to open. They were ushered inside by a heavyset, tattooed bouncer who looked like he could give even Deku a run for his money in a contest of raw physical strength- without the aid of One For All, of course. After treating Midoriya to a brief scowl, though, he glanced down at Kyoka and broke into a friendly grin, exchanging a brief hug with the short, skinny young hero- beside him, she looked like little more than a child, but they seemed to be old friends.

"Looks like you brought along someone famous this time, huh, EJ? New boyfriend?"

"Nah," she replied without hesitation, a gesture that greatly relieved Izuku, yet still managed to sting just a bit. "More like a friend from work, I'd say. Don't worry, he's cool- I can vouch for him."

"Whatever you say, boss. They're already setting up inside if you wanna head in."

Jiro gave another beckoning nod to Midoriya, and they quickly plunged into the depths of the old warehouse, winding their way through a cramped, mazelike corridor as all around them the vibrations he'd heard on the street grew louder and louder, until it was clear that it was the rhythmic thumping of electronic bass. _EJ for Earphone Jack, huh? So she used to come here with Kaminari, _he mused, thinking back to the bouncer's comments. _That makes sense, he seems pretty musically inclined too. I'll have to ask him next time I see him which bands he-_

"So I take it you've never been to this spot before?" Jiro's voice brought him back to reality, a wry grin spreading across her dark-glossed lips. "You've got 'newbie' written all over you."

"I was starting to feel like I may not have dressed right…" Izuku confided sheepishly, a suspicion that was only confirmed as they emerged together into the cavernous main room. The chamber was divided into two levels, with a stage and dancefloor down below and a bar above. A set of metal catwalks extending out from the bar ringed around the dancefloor and gave a perfect vantage point from which to watch the performance on the lower level. A good number of concertgoers were already mingling about on both floors, and just as the bouncer had mentioned, the band was still setting up on the stage below, going through instrument and equipment checks. As he feared, nearly everyone was dressed as casually as Kyoka or even more so, with an abundance of leather, spikes, and plain graphic tees as opposed to his formal button down. Just as on the street, they all regarded him curiously, watching Deku like he was a lost lamb that had strayed into a den of wolves.

_Last time I was underdressed, now I'm overdressed! _He felt like screaming out in frustration and exasperation, but managed to contain the feeling- Jiro seemed to notice his distress, however, and gave him a playful punch on the arm.

"Ah, don't worry about them. So what if you look like a total dweeb? As long as you're with me, you'll be just fine. Now come on, let's grab some drinks before this kicks off- we still have a little while before the first set starts."

A few short minutes later, they were seated at a high-top table overlooking the dancefloor below, each sipping at their respective cocktails as they went through the standard motions of small talk and catching up after a few months without contact. The conversation was flowing pleasantly between them, but the same had been true with Yaoyorozu; try as he might, Izuku couldn't shake the thoughts of Momo from his head. So far Kyoka had been acting completely normal, with no hint that this was all some sort of secret revenge ploy. His anxiety must have been visible in his expression and body language, though- a look of concern on her face, she drew silent midsentence and paused a moment before speaking again.

"Hey, Midoriya… are you feeling okay? Is this atmosphere too much for you? Sorry about the joke about you looking like a dweeb, I didn't mean that. If this isn't your scene, then we can-"

"No, no, it's fine! I'm…" Searching desperately for an appropriate excuse, Deku stumbled upon a convenient truth, one that he'd meant to mention to her regardless. "I'm just a bit nervous. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but… this is actually my first concert."

"For this band?" Jiro sipped at her margarita, her expression confused.

"No, I mean like… ever."

"Wha… _no fucking way." _Her eyes bulging with shock and her mouth hanging wide open, she set down her drink and leaned forward over the table. "You're serious? You're not bullshitting me? Not even in middle school or high school?"

"Nope. I mean, I listen to music and all, but I guess the thought just never crossed my mind. Also, with just my mom around and all, I guess I didn't want to worry her. She would probably have insisted on coming with me, to be totally honest."

"Well, uh… maybe it's for the best that she's not here," Jiro replied with a grin, nodding towards a group of newcomers, led by a gaggle of scantily glad women in fishnets, bras, and entirely too tight-fitting shorts, their makeup even more elaborate than Kyoka's and their entire upper bodies covered in paint and glitter. One among their number seemed to recognize Jiro from afar, and Midoriya felt his entire face rapidly growing red as she rushed over to their table, her chest bouncing all the way. Tan and blond-haired, the girl was the definition of a gyaru as far as appearances were concerned, with bright pink lipstick and heavy eyeshadow. She wore a flimsy dress about her waist, but it was almost entirely see-through, and the sight of her ripped, high-hemmed shorts beneath was nearly enough to send blood streaming from Izuku's nose as she leaned over to hug Kyoka and treated him to a view of practically everything up to her panties in the process.

"Oh my god, EJ, it's so good to see you! I had no idea you were coming tonight, we're gonna have so much fun!"

"It's great to see you too, Rumiko! How have things been with the new job?"

"Oh girl, you wouldn't even believe it! I'm having, like, _such _a good time! The customers are _so _much better here than back in Chiba, and our boss is way cool too. The other day, he-"

Midsentence, she finally seemed to take notice of Izuku, and batted her false, glittery eyelashes in his direction- he smiled nervously in response, using all of his willpower to keep his eyes from drifting downward out of instinct.

"H-hi, I'm Midoriya."

"You can call me Rumiko!" She giggled in response. "Totes nice to meet you!" Then she leaned in towards Kyoka's ear and began to 'whisper', though even over the beat of the bar's music and the chatter of the crowd, almost everything she said was audible.

_"Oh my god, babe, he's sooo much cuter than Sparky. Look at you go, girl, moving on and upgrading too!"_

_ "N-no, it's not like that," _Jiro hissed in reply. _"He's just a friend!" _Then she cupped her hands around Rumiko's ear and lowered her volume even further, to the point where Izuku had no chance of overhearing.

"Ohhh…" The blonde girl said quietly after a moment, then rolled her eyes and pouted before beginning to 'whisper' again. _"Well where's the fun in that? You're the one who's here with him now!"_

"Uh, guys…" Finally summoning up the courage to speak, Midoriya leaned toward them with an uncertain expression on his face. "Do you two need some time to talk? I could go get another round of drinks if you want."

"Why don't we all go get drinks together?" Jiro proposed suddenly, hopping up from her chair and nodding towards the bar with her cheeks flushed red- or maybe it was just the red neon light of the bar, playing tricks on Izuku's eyes. "I mean, we've gotta make sure he gets drunk, at the very least. It's his _first _concert."

"Like, of this band?"

"No, like, _first ever." _

"Oh my god, no wayyy!" Rumiko cried out giddily, her eyes wide with excitement. "We've _definitely _gotta drink to you taking his concert virginity!" She sent a suggestive wink in Kyoka's direction after that last comment, and Midoriya felt a shiver travel involuntarily up his spine as the taller, curvier girl wrapped both of her arms around one of his and began to physically lead him towards the bar, a wide smile on her face.

"I hope EJ's being gentle, seeing as it's your first time and all. I know she's a bit rough around the edges, so if it gets too bad, just let me know and I'll make sure to take good care of you."

"H-hey!" Jiro protested, her expression baffled- she was definitely blushing now, there was no longer any question about it. "You can't just poach him like that, I was the one who brought him!"

"Oh, so he _is _your date?" Rumiko's grin grew even more mischievous. "I mean, if that was the case, I'd have to respect it, but if he's just your friend, seems to me like he's up for grabs. Isn't that right, Midoriya?"

"I… uh…" Try as he might to reply, Deku had been largely rendered speechless by the way the girl's glittery chest was pressing up against his arm.

"Look, he agrees! You can see it in his eyes, he's already fallen for me."

"F-Fine! Look, if it makes, you happy, we can say he's my date, _for the night. _If, uh…" She glanced sheepishly up towards his eyes. "If you're okay with that. I don't wanna put words in your mouth."

"Fine by me," Izuku nodded vigorously as they finally reached their destination, trying his best to ignore the pounding of his heart in his chest and keep a straight face as he hailed the bartender. _What the hell is happening right now?_

"Hey, can we get… what would you like, guys?"

"Three shots of tequila!" Rumiko cried without hesitation. "Lime and salt too, pretty please!"

_So that's the kind of night this is going to be, _Midoriya mused as he watched the man pour out three portions that definitely seemed larger than normal to his admittedly unexperienced eyes. During their time together, Mei had typically been too busy with one baby or another to bother with drinking, but when she did, she typically preferred beer or wine. As such, he was too embarrassed to admit to either of the girls that he had practically little to no experience with hard liquors, and he hadn't done a shot of tequila- or of anything stronger than sake, for that matter- since Mina's graduation party three years ago. Before he knew it the two girls already had their salt and lime in position, and Izuku was left fumbling and clueless.

"Uh… it's the lime first, right?"

"Nuh uh, sweetie, first the salt. Here, lemme show you." Just moments after he'd recovered his composure, Deku was thrown into silent distress once more when Rumiko leaned over and took him by the hands, showing him how to pour the salt and ready the lime for afterward; her skin was unbelievably soft compared to Midoriya's scars and calluses, and her nails were long, multicolored, and bedazzled. All the while, Jiro looked on with a mildly peeved expression.

"You two ready?"

"We are now!" The gyaru chimed cheerfully, raising her shot glass in the air. "To Midoriya popping his concert cherry!"

"How about we… use a different toast," Kyoka mumbled, casting a frantic glance for help in Izuku's direction.

"To making new friends!" Midoriya blurted out, at a loss for anything else to say. Thankfully, the girls repeated the toast without hesitation, then licked their salt and downed their tequila in unison. Kyoka and Rumiko both bit down on their lime afterward without any problems, but Izuku managed to fumble his at the last moment, reeling in shock at the strength of the alcohol. Moments later, he was leaned over and coughing in his stool, lime juice dripping through his fingers and onto the floor- in his haste to catch the falling slice of fruit, he'd accidentally activated a miniscule portion of One For All and crushed it to oblivion in his fist. Behind him, both of the girls were laughing, but he'd kept the tequila down- that was the important part.

"Can we maybe a beer next? Something light? Or water, let's do a shot of water."

"Aww, he's like a baby! That's cute." Rumiko blew a kiss in Izuku's direction, then turned to Kyoka and nodded. Jiro in turn looked back to the bartender, her expression resigned.

"How about a round of vodka shots this time, Hiro?"

"Coming up, EJ."

_Oh, no._

Three more shots and one round of beers later, the first set was ready, and Midoriya was thoroughly feeling the effects of his celebratory alcohol- it was a pleasant buzz to say the least, perhaps even verging on tipsiness. The same seemed to ring true for both the girls, but that didn't stop them from branding him a lightweight when he tripped on his way back from the bathroom and nearly fell on top of a table full of other concertgoers. He managed to signal for the bartender for a glass of water and gulp it down within the span of a few seconds while they were busy looking down at the dancefloor, but not long afterward he found himself being pulled over toward the balcony by an even bubblier than usual Rumiko.

"C'mon, c'mon, you're gonna miss it!"

"She's right," remarked Jiro, her cheeks now permanently flushed red from the drinks. "Can't have you screwing up your first time, can we?"

Not a moment later, the lights began to dim, and the room quieted down all at once. The steady beat of a drum and the strumming notes of an electric guitar filled the air, and beside him Kyoka leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"The first set is an old 70's rock cover band- Aerosmith, KISS, Led Zeppelin, that sort of thing. I dig them, personally. I started working with Gang Orca after we met at one of their concerts a while back."

"Oh, really? He's a big rock fan too, huh?" Midoriya turned his head to look her in the eye, but severely underestimated how close her face was- their foreheads promptly smacked together, and their noses briefly brushed across each other before they both withdrew out of reflex, wide-eyed.

"S-sorry!"

"You're fine," she quickly replied, her gaze averted downward. "Now shut up and listen, they're playing 'Kashmir'- this is one of my favorite Zepp songs."

Izuku happily did as he was told, through one song and then the next- his own playlist and music taste was admittedly rather limited, so he was glad for the opportunity to hear something new for a change. The moment the third song began, though, the room erupted in loud cheers, and both Rumiko and Kyoka suddenly grew visibly excited.

"Come on," the taller girl called, starting towards the stairs and gesturing eagerly for them to follow. "Let's go dance!"

"This is 'Dream On'," Jiro explained when she saw Midoriya's look of confusion, as if that should make things obvious. "Come on, you can't tell me you've never heard 'Dream On'."

"Uh, well…"

"You're hopeless, I swear." A hint of a grin on her face, she took him by the hand and nodded towards the stairs. "Come on, that just means we definitely have to go down there."

Izuku nodded and smiled back, feeling a slight swell of confidence from the alcohol, not to mention the sheer energy of the room

"Alright, sounds good. Lead the way, 'EJ'."

"Shut up," she snapped back, her grin only widening as they plunged down after Rumiko, the volume and vibrations rapidly growing louder, reverberating through the metal. When they finally reached the bottom and started out onto the dancefloor, the noise from the speakers plus the shouts of the crowd had grown nearly deafening, though thankfully Jiro wasted no time reaching into her jacket pocket and producing two pairs of earplugs. She handed Midoriya his, then typed out a message on her phone- it was practically impossible to talk to each other on this level.

_'Thought you might have needed them,' _the message read, _'glad I brought a spare set. If this is too much, just let me know'_

Once he put the plugs in, the noise level was cut at least in half, falling to a pleasantly loud but still survivable level- feeling more energized by the crowd than ever, he gave her a thumbs up and nodded eagerly. Without hesitation, they dived into the mass of people and began to move toward the middle of the room, their hands still clasped together as they weaved in and out of the pulsing throngs of concert-goers. Adrenaline was racing through Izuku's veins, and when Kyoka tripped over someone's foot and nearly wiped out on the floor, he ducked in caught her bridal-style, and swept her back up onto her feet all in one fluid motion.

"I think it's safe to say you win in the lightweight category," he said wryly, before he realized she couldn't hear him- instead, all he could see of her reaction was a look of shock followed by a nervous smile. _Oh shit, what if that was too much? _He could feel himself sobering up by the second, as once more he promptly began to analyze the situation from every angle. _Did I just make her uncomfortable? Maybe she wasn't okay with that amount of physical contact. _He had no time to ponder the question further, though, as the song grew nearer to its climax, and Jiro turned around to join the cheers. He quickly did the same, glancing around for a moment to confirm that Rumiko seemed to have rejoined the group of girls she arrived with. Thankfully, the more he listened the music, the more his worries faded away again, replaced by pure, concentrated energy and enthusiasm. Though he was just hearing the song for the first time, he'd listened well enough to sing the final chorus together with the rest of the room, and joined Jiro in pumping his fist in the air at the end with a laugh.

As the band moved onto the next rock ballad, though, he felt Jiro inching closer to him from the side, and glanced over to find two mohawked and leather-clad men who looked to be around their age make steady advances towards her- one leaned in and tried to say something in her ear as he watched, while the other maneuvered in front of her and tried to grab her hands and start dancing. Before Kyoka could even twist her head in his direction, Izuku was already moving, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and her side with the other; he steered her away from the two intruders as gently as possible, then stepped up toward them. Thanks to his growth spurt towards the end of high school, he towered over both of them by a good several inches, and to say that his physique was leaner and more muscular was a grave understatement.

"She's with me," he declared simply, before realizing once more that his voice was practically inaudible- his expression must have conveyed the message for him, though, because they quickly scattered back into the crowd without protest.

_'Thanks for that,' _read the note on Jiro's phone when he turned back around- he merely grinned and gave her a thumbs up in response, then felt his heart skip a beat when she laughed at that, the contours of her face and details of her makeup suddenly and brilliantly illuminated under one of the neon strobe lights sweeping back and forth across the dancefloor. A voice at the back of mind screamed out that it was happening all over again, but the room was loud, and it was all too easy to ignore it. He nudged a bit closer to her still, an act made all the more convenient by how tightly the crowd was pressing in, and noticed that she had begun to type something else.

_'They're like sharks, I swear. There'll probably be more.' _Then a long pause while she typed the next message- the song had ended, and aside from the chatter of the crowd, the volume had died down greatly. All the same, though, she still resorted to a note rather than speaking, the expression on her face hidden as she kept her eyes locked downward on the screen. _'Do you think you could pretend to be my boyfriend? Just for a little while.'_

An hour ago, that question might have prompted Izuku to freeze, panic, even shut down entirely. But right now, instead of doing any of that, he nodded, and leaned in close to her instead of pulling out his own phone.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked into Jiro's ear, and even in the dim light he could see it go red.

"Just… uh… dance with me, I guess," she responded hesitantly, once again averting her eyes from his. On cue, a new song was slowly starting up in the background, a hit from KISS that even Midoriya recognized almost instantly.

_"I was made for lovin' you baby, you were made for lovin' me… And I can't get enough of you, baby, can you get enough of me?"_

Already suggestive enough on their own, the lyrics took on an entirely new character in light of their current situation; the press of the crowd meant there was no shying away now, though. Kyoka turned to Izuku, and without a moment wasted in hesitation, he took her hands in his own and began his best attempt at dancing back and forth across the limited space they had to work with, his courage multiplied tenfold by a combination of the shots and the hundreds of other people dancing around him. He was improvising moves left and right, and for the most part hadn't the faintest clue what he was doing, but none of that mattered right now.

"_Tonight, I wanna see it in your eyes… feel the magic, there's something that drives me wild."_

Jiro replied just as eagerly, a broad smile growing across her face as she matched his movements; on the next chorus, she even began to mouth the lyrics, pointing at him with her free hand as he led her into a twirl.

_"I was made for lovin' you baby, you were made for lovin' me… and I can give it all to you, baby, can you give it all to me?"_

He quickly began to mimic her, and by the time the next verse rolled around, they were locked arm in arm, singing the lyrics into each other's faces with giddy, gleeful expressions. By the time the song ended, their noses were just a hair's width apart, and he could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheeks, count the beads of sweat on her brow. The first set was over, the band was slowly moving offstage, and the air on the dancefloor had grown still. A hundred people were moving all around them, towards the bathrooms or bar or to the exit to smoke during the intermission, but he didn't see any of them- just her. Despite a hundred voices at the back of his head telling him not to, Izuku was in the process of steeling himself to lean in and kiss her when her expression suddenly darkened of its own accord, and she looked away, nodding towards the stairs.

"Let's, ah… let's go get another drink or something. I need to walk around a little."

"Oh… okay. Yeah, sure, let's go!" Perking up so as not to seem too disappointed with the sudden change of pace, Midoriya followed her back up to the bar with a nervous smile on his face, and sufficed for another beer while she ordered a whisky on the rocks. Soon enough, they ended up back at the same stretch of balcony where they'd been before, sipping at their respective drinks amid an increasingly uncomfortable silence. For the second time in the span of just a few short minutes, Izuku found himself wondering whether he'd done something horribly wrong to spur the shift in the night's tone. A dozen possibilities flashed across his mind: complications with Kaminari, his poor dance moves, his complete lack of musical knowledge, some small comment he'd made, even bad breath or body odor- he found himself sniffing to check the last two just before Jiro finally spoke up again.

"Hey uh… I don't know to put this in a way that's not gonna be awkward, but I need to ask you something, Izuku. I've been meaning to all night, actually... I just kept chickening out."

All thoughts of sweat and deodorant rapidly forgotten, Midoriya snapped his head back in her direction in an instant, meeting her uneasy gaze with eyes both shocked and hopeful. Everything about what she'd just said sounded like the beginning of something interesting, and he could only brace himself in anticipation as she opened her mouth to speak again, his heart pounding like a drum.

"So... how do you feel about Momo?"

* * *

**_And we're back once more! Turns out, this date is so long that I have to cut it in two- I hope this was a suitable enough cliffhanger to keep the suspense going until next time! How do you think the date is going to end up by the end of the night? Is Jiro and Momo's strategy fair? And can we pour one out for pour Ochako? It breaks my heart to have to keep doing this to her._**

_**As always let me know what you think, no matter how trivial, and tell me what you want to see next time. for the conclusion of the date!**_


	5. Heavy Metal Riff, Part II

**Chapter 5: Heavy Metal Riff, Part II**

"Uh… well… she's a nice girl, and um… w-why do you ask?"

Just as Jiro had predicted, Midoriya turned into a red-cheeked, fidgeting mess immediately following her question, averting his eyes from hers as he fumbled for his words.

_God dammit, why does he have to look so cute when he's doing that? _Jiro bit down on her lip from the inside in a silent reprimand, doing her best to rein in the part of her that had wanted so desperately to kiss Izuku down on the dancefloor, that still wanted to kiss him now. _Snap out of it, Kyoka. He's gonna make me say it- might as well bite the bullet. _

Glancing down at her whisky, she lifted the glass to her mouth and took another deep sip before she continued, grimacing at the bitter taste. _God, how did I let it all get this fucked up? _When she was finally ready, she made sure to choose her words as carefully as she could, though even that was harder than usual given how much alcohol was currently flowing through her veins.

"I… know you two went on a date last week. And that you both really had a good time."

"I'm not so sure about that." He interjected, his expression downtrodden. "I mean… I absolutely did, but she…"

"That… wasn't your fault," Jiro replied, her tone insistent as she recalled Yaoyorozu's explanation of her behavior at the end of the night, how guilty she'd felt about her 'betrayal' of Ochako. "Look, emotions are complicated, and people are a whole other mess entirely. I know it may not have seemed like it at the time, but…" The next few words came a bit harder, but she pushed through them all the same- she'd given Momo her word, and one romantic dance with Midoriya didn't change that. "But she really likes you, Izuku. I mean, _a lot. _Head over heels, the whole nine yards. She was just… feeling guilty about moving on from Todoroki." The lie came to her easily, and she could see by the look of realization in Deku's eyes that he accepted it readily. As complicated as the situation already was, explaining the entire Ochako dilemma would only add more unknown variables.

"Oh… I see."

"But she's over it now," Kyoka made sure to add when she saw his crestfallen gaze. "I talked to her today, and… and I think she's ready to see you again."

"Oh. R-really?" His eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, and Jiro forced a smile in response.

"Yeah, really. She misses you, so you better not disappoint her, loverboy."

"So if you only talked with her about that today…" he frowned, his brows furrowed in contemplation, then looked back up at her with curious eyes. "Then wait, why did you invite me to this half a week ago? Did it not have anything to do with that?"

"Does it have to? No real reason, to be honest, besides the fact that it had been a while. I saw you on the news after that fire rescue, and I thought catching up as friends would be nice."

That lie was less convincing than the previous one, but Midoriya seemed to buy into it just as easily, and gave her a wide, innocent smile.

"Well I think it's really nice to see you too, and I'm glad you asked me to come. It's so cool to hear about music from you! Do you think you could teach me some more about all the different bands and singers and stuff?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that." Kyoka grinned back at him, doing the best to ignore the slight flutter in her chest. _His eyes are so damn green, it's gorgeous. How did I never notice that before? _ "What type of genre you like best? Rock, rap, electronic? If you say country, I'm leaving right now."

"That's a, uh… good question." He gave her another nervous grin. "Will you be mad at me if I say I have no idea? I mostly just listen to whatever's on the radio."

"Wha… are you for real dude?" Jiro's eyes grew wide, and her jaw went slack with shock for a few brief moments before she remembered it was Midoriya she was talking about here, the boy who'd never been to a concert before tonight at age twenty-one. "So no favorite artists or songs or anything? No go-to playlist for when you're on the subway or just chilling at home?"

"Hmm… not unless shuffle counts." He sipped contemplatively at his beer. "And I always forget to look at the song names too, so I can never remember them! But… there are some artists I do know. I've listened to all your songs, I really love your work!"

"You… huh?"

Kyoka wasn't aware that a face even _could _flush as red as hers did in that moment, as the mental image of Izuku blasting one of her punk anthems at the gym came to mind unbidden, of her voice crooning in his ear while he rode to work or showered or cooked dinner at night. Since launching her musical side-gig shortly after graduation, she'd always made an unconscious effort not to push her work on her friends, partly because she was still half-convinced that everything she produced was terrible, and partly because there was something oddly personal about putting her voice out there for the world. Aside from a few close friends like Momo and Mina and the others, who had always been her staunchest supporters, it still felt strange to consider the fact that people she knew might be listening to her lay bare her emotions at any given moment. Releasing her songs meant exposing a vulnerable part of herself to everyone she knew and everyone she didn't- the only possible solution was to not think about it, a conclusion she'd reached a long time ago. Midoriya's comment turned everything upside down, though, and she had to look away towards the dancefloor to make sure he didn't see her expression as she stumbled over her next few words.

"That's, uh… thank you, that means a lot. Do you have a, um…" She coughed briefly to clear her throat. "…A favorite one? Of my songs, that is."

_Why the hell am I asking him this?! _Part of her mind shouted, the part that wanted to steer this conversation back away from her music as quickly as possible. _Abort mission, just run to the bathroom!_

"That's really hard," he answered, and the sound of his voice froze her in place just as she was preparing to bolt. "But if I had to pick… I'd probably say 'Eye of the Storm'."

_Of course you would, _Jiro reflected, as her heart continued to pound in her chest like a drum. The one Midoriya had chosen was indisputably one of her most romantic songs, with the lyrics written in the form of a love letter from a dying soldier.

"Any particular reason?" She suddenly found herself asking. "I like that one too."

"Well I'd be lying if I said it wasn't super catchy. But now that I think about it… I think it's the one that sounds the most like you. N-not that the others don't sound like you too!" Izuku quickly stammered once he glanced down and finally saw her embarrassed expression, laying one hand tentatively on her shoulder as he gave his most reassuring smile. "Trust me, they're all amazing!"

"Wow, that's really sweet. I'm just gonna, uh… one second."

Pushed to her mental limit, she was a heartbeat away from turning and hastily retreating when an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, and suddenly she found her cheek being pressed up against Midoriya's, her shoulder on his chest.

"There you cuties are! Just look at you two lovebirds, it's so cute I could die!"

If possible, Rumiko returned even more bubbly than before, giggling as she squeezed them both in a tight hug, one hand conspicuously on Izuku's abs. He quickly began to stammer awkwardly in an attempt to greet her, but before Kyoka could even begin to process her response, they were both being led by the hand back to the bar, where another line of shots awaited them.

"Aw, Rumi, come on, I've already had a lot tonight…"

"M-me too…"

"It's just sake, you guys, no biggie! Don't worry about it, we're pacing things!"

The taller girl's amicable personality was so infectious that it was only a matter of seconds before they found themselves downing the liquor in one go, and Jiro's eyes shot wide open in shock and dismay when something much stronger and more bitter than what she'd been expecting washed down her throat, nearly triggering her gag reflex.

"You liar, that was shochu!" She coughed, glancing over as Deku went through a similarly distressed reaction.

"Same difference," the gyaru replied mischievously. "Hey Midoriya, boo, could you go grab us some paper towels from the bathroom? I think I spilled a little bit of mine."

"S-sure, no problem!" Izuku nodded vigorously before darting away, leaving Kyoka perplexed behind him- she cast a suspicious glance in Rumiko's direction.

"There are plenty of napkins here at the bar… and you didn't spill anything."

"Maybe so, but he's too much of a gentleman to point that out." Her lips still drawn in a devious grin, the gyaru wrapped her hands around Jiro's and leaned in close. "So give me the details, how is it going? Have you made out yet?"

"N-No, it's not like that! It's like I said, I'm just here to wingman for my friend Momo- I'm not getting involved with Izuku, she has dibs."

"Oh really… so what would you call that dancing, then? I saw you two, you were adorable!"

"That was just two good friends dancing." Jiro withdrew her hands and crossed her arms defensively, as excuses and solutions raced to mind. "I'm allowed to do that with him, right? Dancing doesn't have to be inherently sexual."

"I mean, he _is _your date, you admitted it yourself. And it _was _pretty intimate… seems like you're really testing the boundaries of friendship to me, EJ." Rumiko's counterattack struck with a vengeance, and when Kyoka was left at a momentary loss for words, she wasted no time following up. "And speaking of this whole dibs thing, it seems pretty vague to me… I don't know if I believe in it at all. No one gets to just say they claim someone who's still single and expect everyone else to listen. They have to put in the work themselves."

"But he and Momo… they already…"

"Fucked, yeah, so what? I don't see Momo here tonight, just you. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't have to feel bad about doing what you want- I never do." Rumiko stood and promptly started off toward the stairs, beckoning for her to follow. "Now come on, the second set is about to start!"

* * *

"Guys?! Uh, Jiro, Rumiko? Where'd you all…" Midoriya's eyes flit back and forth in a panic as he stood at the bar with a small stack of paper towels in hand, searching the crowd of people for the two girls he'd left there just a minute before. In the end, it took him a good twenty seconds to finally spot Earphone Jack where she was waving at him over by the stairwell.

"So do we still need these?" He called as he jogged over.

"Nope, the bartender cleaned it all up." Rumiko shot him a wink that did more to confuse him than to resolve the situation, then turned and started back downwards. "Now come on, we gotta hurry if we want to find good spots!"

As it turned out, the concert's second set was much closer to Jiro's signature style than the first: a local punk-metal group, famous enough that even Midoriya had heard of them. Kyoka used her phone to type out a few of the details he needed to know as they started their first song, but as the music picked up, he couldn't help but notice that she was a bit more standoffish than before, not quite as enthusiastic as before with her movements and expressions. By the time the second song rolled around, he found himself wishing she'd start dancing with him again. Just as he was about to extend a hand, though, his thoughts drifted back to Momo, and out of instinct, he suddenly backed away. Thanks to the alcohol, much of the night still seemed like a dreamy haze- what Jiro had told him about Yaoyorozu still hadn't properly sunk in, until now, pressed up next to Kyoka with his hand outstretched to try and dance with her.

_Oh god, is this… everything tonight… is it cheating? She said Momo really likes me, and I like her, so what the hell have I been doing here? Am I already technically in a relationship with her? How does all of this work?!_

Suddenly his head was spinning, half from the drinks and half from the sheer insanity of the situation. Now, beside him, it was Jiro's turn to ask if he was alright, holding up her phone's notes app with concern painted on her face.

"I just… need some air," he leaned in and mumbled into her ear, shivering involuntarily when he inhaled some of her perfume in the process- it was an entirely different scent from Yaoyorozu's, piney and fresh and sharp, but not at all unpleasant.

"Okay," she replied hesitantly, as the solution came to Midoriya all at once like a lightbulb.

_Call her, I've got to get outside and call Momo. Then I can fix everything. _

When he turned to look for a way out of the crowd and back to the exit, though, it rapidly became clear that there was practically no way out. Yelling enthusiastically, the concert-goers all around them were growing increasingly rowdy as they jumped up and down to the beat of the song, which had become a bit too hardcore for Izuku's taste. Frowning, he tried to push his way out of the tightening mob, only to jump back in shock when two men in front of him slammed into each other at full speed, laughing at the top of their lungs. Then it happened again to his left, and a third time to the right- it took Midoriya a few moments to realize that he was standing in the middle of a widening circle of people doing the exact same thing. _What the hell is going on here?_

A blow to the side nearly knocked him off his feet before he could resume his escape, and as he stumbled forward, coming dangerously close to faceplanting on the sticky concert floor, he felt a hand tighten around his wrist, and knew instinctively it was Jiro. Turning back towards her once he had his balance again, Izuku glimpsed a look of panic on her face as she leaned in and shouted in his ear.

_"We gotta get out of here, we're in the moshpit!" _

_ "What's a moshpit?!" _He asked frantically, but she merely shook her head in reply, and seized him by the hand before starting out towards the edge of the circle, buffeted on all sides by flailing bodies.

Just before they could make it to the end of the pit, though, a tall, leather-clad man slammed into both of them from the side, reeling back and away from the group that had pushed him. One of his elbows struck Midoriya full in the stomach and promptly knocked the wind from him, while the other, to his horror, landed squarely on Jiro's face and sent her stumbling to her knees.

_"Hey!" _Deku shouted, his hands balling into fists. Before he could even grab hold of the offender, though, the man had already melted back into the crowd, calling out a faint apology as they disappeared into the throngs of people.

All the same, Izuku was fully prepared to chase after him, but Kyoka caught him once more by the arm, and shook her head. Her other hand was still cupped over the lower half of her face, and when she finally lifted it, everything beneath was soaked in blood, with a steady stream leaking from her nose.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry about it."

_"Holy shit," _Deku breathed, his protective instincts swiftly coming to the fore as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and elbowed his way through the remainder of the crowd as politely yet efficiently as possible, given the circumstances. Once they were safely off to the side, he grabbed her by the shoulders, his face deadly serious.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Jiro, don't worry. Do you think it's broken?"

"I've got no idea, but either way, it's definitely gonna hurt in the morning." Earphone Jack held her sleeve up instinctively to soak up some of the blood, then swore and pulled it away again when she realized how badly she was staining it. "Oh god, that's gonna be a bitch to get out…"

"Looks like you could really use those paper towels now, huh?" Deku asked, grinning despite himself. They both broke out into laughter for a few brief moments, until Jiro winced again in pain.

"_Ow… _okay, yeah, good point. I'm gonna run to the bathroom and get cleaned up. Don't worry about me, alright? It's fine, I've dealt with way worse than this at a concert before."

"Alright, if you're sure. I'll, uh… be here, I guess?"

"I'll be back before you know it." She gave him a brief grin, then started off toward the women's restrooms, and in her absence Izuku suddenly found himself wishing he still had a beer in hand. _What a night… If she wants to go home after this, I'd completely understand. _

Leaning up against the wall alongside a handful of other concertgoers taking a break from the dancefloor, it only took a few brief seconds for him to mimic them in checking his phone. He had two new texts: One was from Aoyama- a picture of his new French poodle, just back from the groomer- and the other from Ojiro, asking if they were still on for their patrol team-up on Monday. There was a missed call and voicemail as well, from his mother- probably about her technical difficulties setting up the new cable box- but still nothing from Uraraka- or Yaoyorozu, for that matter. _I should text her, _he knew, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard as he stared down Momo's last message. _'Apologies, but I'm a bit busy with work today! I'll get back to you later.' _Reading it now was just as painful as it had been four days ago. After tonight's conversation with Jiro, though, everything was different- where earlier there had been only despair, he finally felt a bit of hope welling up inside him again.

_What should I even say, though? _He still had no answer to that question. _Hey, so I heard you actually like me after all? No, that's so conceited. Texting won't work, it has to be in person. _After sending brief replies to Yuga and Mashirao, he shoved the phone back in his pocket with a sigh, _What was I even thinking, trying to ditch Jiro and call Momo in the middle of hanging out with her? When did things get so damn complicated? _From there he quickly launched into a tirade of muttering about the various social implications of being on a date with someone- just as he was getting to the fine details of how he should treat Kyoka with regards to her personal space on the dancefloor, she promptly reappeared in front of him, her hands shoved in her pockets and a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, you! What are you doing still moping around over here, I thought you'd be back in the crowd by now!"

"H-Hey, Jiro! That was really fast, are you sure you're okay?"

Though it had only been a minute or two, her nose looked completely normal, without a trace of blood remaining.

"I'm totally fine, it wasn't actually that bad once I got around to cleaning it up. And by the way, Izuku, please, call me Kyoka."

"I-If you say so!" Deku stammered, his face flushing involuntarily as she took him by the hand once more and led him back towards the center of the pulsating crowd. The moshpit had already dissolved, but rather than returning to their previous spots, Earphone Jack led them even deeper into the mob of people, near the front. It was all Midoriya could do to hear what she was saying when turned back and spoke.

"Dance with me!"

"O-Okay, sure! If you want to, uh…" He trailed off as she seized his hands with a knowing grin, pressing her body up against his as the crowd closed in tightly around them- maneuvering away was practically impossible, and now her face was only inches away from his own. When she leaned in close, he could feel her breath hot in his ear.

"You know, Izuku you're really pretty cute."

"Y-you think so?" Suddenly all the air had left his lungs at once, and he could feel his heart pounding loud and insistent in his chest. All the emotions he'd felt while they were dancing earlier were slowly building back up inside him as she nuzzled her head against his neck, and guided his hands until they were squarely on her hips.

"I know so. Now like I said, dance with me."

What came next was several degrees more intimate than anything that had transpired during their first round of dancing: pressed together, their bodies practically moved as one to the beat of the music, all while Midoriya's inebriated mind raced at a mile a minute to try and figure out exactly what was happening. _I-is this okay?! _He wondered frantically, his sweaty hands still wrapped gingerly around Kyoka's lower back as she clung to his shoulders. _This is more than just friends should do, right?! Should I say something?! Or would that only make it worse?! _As her delicate frame squeezed tighter and tighter against his own, it was growing more and more difficult to conceal a problem of another nature beneath his waistband; when it did finally press against her inner thigh, her reaction was a far cry from the shock and disgust that he'd feared. Her grin only deepened, and she pressed back in turn, eliciting a grunt of surprise from Izuku.

"Someone's happy to see me," Jiro whispered in his ear- the sound of her voice taking on such a seductive tone was practically enough to knock him flat then and there, but he managed to keep hold of his bearings, shuddering involuntarily as her hands began to trace gentle little circles on his back, steadily moving lower and lower.

"I, uh… K-Kyoka, are you sure this is okay? What about… I thought that…"

"What about Momo?" She finished, pressing her fingers tight into his back. "Well, I did some thinking about that. Maybe she does like you, but she isn't here right now, and there's no such thing as calling dibs on someone. Let's just live in the moment, okay? You and me, together."

Then she leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his own, and his brain promptly short-circuited.

"Oh… I… uh…"

"Just shut up and kiss me, okay?"

"Okay."

After two hours of worrying and thinking and worrying more, Midoriya gave in, and did what felt good. Grabbing hold of her back, he drew her even closer and kissed her back, letting out a soft groan as one of her hands shot down to his crotch and the other clamped down on his ass. She was more aggressive than Momo, and made more use of her tongue, but he didn't mind- rather the opposite, he found himself responding in turn, as a sudden shift in the crowd sent them stumbling back out of the center of the mob and toward the wall. Despite her smaller size, she soon had him pinned up against it, stroking his chest and stomach beneath his shirt with one hand as she grabbed onto his hair with the other. It felt like ages before they finally broke apart, and after taking a moment to sigh in ecstasy, Jiro stroked his cheek with one thumb, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, wanna go ahead and get out of here?"

"A-already?" Her question finally snapped Izuku back somewhere a bit closer to reality, and while he kept an arm wrapped around her waist, he felt a bit of the sobriety returning. Kissing her had been dreamlike, but going back together meant something else entirely, and memories of the end of his night with Yaoyorozu flashed though his head. "But don't you love this band?"

"I can listen to them online anytime. There won't ever be another moment like the one we're sharing right now."

"Oh, w-wow. That's a good point, but, um…"

"…But?" Jiro pouted, her expression suddenly the picture of innocence.

"But… I need to think about this. There's just so much going on, and…"

In an instant, Kyoka's face went from doe-eyed to crestfallen, her gaze sinking down to his chest and her eyes beginning to water.

"I guess I'm just not pretty enough for you, huh? Not in comparison to Momo."

"Wha… t-that's not true at all!"

Before he could continue, Jiro let go of him all at once, and turned away.

"I need to go," she declared, and before Midoriya could reach out a hand to stop her, she had already vanished into the crowd. The sight of her receding back sent a pang of pain shooting through his heart, and Izuku laid his head in his hands, his eyes screwed shut in frustration.

_Oh god, I did it again. I played with someone's feelings, and now I've ruined things with another friend! _He glanced down to his phone once more, to all of his missed calls and unanswered texts to Ochako. _I have to fix things, starting with Kyoka. _

Moving before his mind even had time to catch up with his body, Midoriya started off in the direction he'd seen her disappear, determined to catch up with her before she left. As it turned out, he didn't need to search long: Jiro appeared in front of him just moments later, a look of relief on her face.

"There you are! Finally, I was getting-"

"Kyoka, listen to me." His heart was still pounding, but Izuku remained absolutely certain of what he needed to do as he took Jiro gently by the hands and looked her dead in the eyes. Luckily, the second set had just ended, so it was a moment of relative quiet on the dancefloor as the next band came onstage. "You're a gorgeous woman, and don't let anyone ever tell you different, alright? You don't have to compare yourself to others, because you're beautiful all on your own. I've thought so for years, not that I ever had the courage to say it back in school."

"W-what? What are you-"

"And look, I know things are really complicated, with everything that's happened this past week… but if you want this, then I'm willing to figure things out, okay? Maybe I'm not a hundred percent sober right now, but… being with you feels good. So…" Entirely at a loss for things to say, he sufficed by leaning in and kissing her. Much less aggressive than the first time, she was slightly hesitant at first, but quickly reciprocated. Somehow, this experience felt even more breathtaking than before, and when she let out a soft groan of pleasure in response to him pulling her body tight against him, the sound nearly drove him mad then and there. Thanks to her smaller chest, he could feel her rapid heartbeat through her shirt as she broke away and met his gaze, her entire face the same shade of scarlet as her eyeliner.

"A-are you sure this is okay, Midori… Izuku? I… I don't know what to do…"

"Well… do you know what you want?"

"…Yes," she replied quietly, and kissed him again.

* * *

In the end, they spent most of the remainder of the concert kissing, huddled together on a section of the metal catwalk that ringed the dancefloor, with a perfect view of everything happening below. The third and final band was another of Kyoka's personal favorites, but aside from the handful of times they came up for air, she hardly listened to a single note they played, far too distracted by Izuku and his lips and tongue and neck. His arms were a marvel too- strong and scarred and muscular, but not too outlandishly large, like some cartoon bodybuilder. Whenever he wrapped them around her, she felt safer and more secure than she ever had within memory, like nothing could possibly disrupt the harmony and bliss of this moment.

Jiro still wasn't entirely sure what had brought about the sudden change in Midoriya's behavior, only that he must have done some serious thinking in the time between when she left to clean off her face and when she'd found him again afterward. When she returned to the spot they'd agreed on, Deku had been nowhere in sight, and it had taken another few minutes of searching until she finally ran into him. _He probably panicked and started looking for me, _she mused, nuzzling her chin into the crook of his neck. Like most of the rest of the skin above his collar, it sported smudgy black stains from her lipstick, which had been entirely rubbed off by now. The last song of the night was on its final few notes, but as far as she was concerned, the good part was still just getting started.

Kyoka had been taken aback at first by his uncharacteristic forwardness, certain that she'd finally managed to set aside her own desires for the night. But in the end, he was just too sweet, and living in the moment was just too tempting. For the past ninety minutes she'd agreed with herself to only think about the present, and so far, it had been working without a hitch,

"Sounds like it's about to wrap up, huh?" Midoriya nudged her gently, then planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Any ideas for what to do next?"

"Well, I guess I could go for some food."

"Oh, is that so?" His hand curled gently around her side and slipped beneath her shirt, coming to a rest on her stomach. "Any particular preferences?"

A lightbulb flashed in Jiro's head, as her mind returned to the image of Deku in her kitchen, clad in a chef's apron. Her cheeks flushed red again out of instinct, and she guided his hand further up her chest as she turned to look him in the eye.

"Uh, well… I've heard on the grapevine that you're not a half bad cook."

"Have you now?" He grinned, and began to plant a series of kisses down her neck. "I'm not sure whether that's actually true, but if you'd like, we can find out."

"…My place?"

"Sure."

"Want to head out before it ends, get ahead of the mob?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Well then, lead the way."

They passed by Rumiko and a group of her friends at the bar on the way out, and Kyoka nearly died of embarrassment when the girl shot her a suggestive wink, then proceeded to lift up her hands and mimic sex with her fingers. Thankfully, Izuku didn't seem to notice, and they plunged ahead to the door without further incident. Now that the sun was all the way down, the quiet backstreet was aglow with neon and bustling with people of all types, as late-night restaurants and bars finally shed their metal coverings and opened for the evening. After taking a moment to marvel wide-eyed at the changes, Midoriya gave her another innocent grin before starting off, and she tightened her grip on his hand out of instinct as they weaved their way through the crowds.

Before she knew it, they were at the nearest subway station, her head on his shoulder as they waited for the next train on one of the benches. After a minute or two of scandalous public cuddling, he fished into his pocket for his coin pouch, and nodded toward a nearby vending machine.

"I think I'm gonna go grab a water, do you want anything?"

"Hmm… I could go for an espresso."

"Sounds good, I'll be right back!"

Blinking in the harsh light of the platform, she cracked her neck and stretched once he was away, then gently felt at her nose again with two fingers. The point of impact was sore and slightly bruised, but judging from how little it hurt after just an hour or two, it almost certainly wasn't broken. There was still a faint outline of dried blood on her upper lip, but thankfully it hadn't been too noticeable the last time she checked. _But the lighting was so dim in that bathroom, I'd better make sure that I'm not walking around looking like a domestic violence victim… _Sniggering quietly to herself, she lifted her phone out of her pocket and opened the selfie camera like a mirror. The result wasn't quite as bad as she'd feared; there were still a few faint black smudges around her mouth from the remnants of her lipstick, and the spot beneath her nose was a bit red from the dried blood, but none of it was too noticeable from a distance, thankfully. Fishing some wipes out of her bag with one hand, she exited out of the camera and pulled up the train schedule, looking for their line. _The next one's only a minute away, huh? Finally, feels like we've been waiting here forever. _

Then her phone buzzed in her hand, and Kyoka's stomach sank like a stone.

Yaomomo: _So how did the concert go? Did you tell him everything's alright between us?_

Never in her life had something sobered Jiro up more quickly than the text that was sitting on her screen, complete with Momo's avatar picture staring her down beside it. All at once, her mouth dried up, her palms grew slick with sweat, and the breath vanished from her lungs just as the color drained from her face. Her emotions skipped over shock and embarrassment entirely, and landed straight on guilt and remorse- their conversation from earlier today began to play unbidden in her head, and suddenly Kyoka couldn't escape the mental image of Momo's blissful expression as she described how much she liked Izuku.

_I feel sick. _

Her stomach heaving and her head spinning with regret, Jiro rose to her feet just as Midoriya returned, their two drinks in hand.

"Here you go! Ah, looks like the train's finally here!"

It was all she could do not to visibly tremble as she turned to face him, her gaze fixed somewhere on his chest- looking him in the eye was impossible.

"I-I'm sorry. I feel sick. I think I need to go."

"Sick? Are you okay? Is it something you ate?"

Jiro couldn't see his face, but she knew exactly what it looked like right now- wide-eyed, full of concern, earnest and trusting. He believed her without so much as a second thought, and that was what hurt the most.

"Maybe, I'm not sure. It just came on all of the sudden. I'm super nauseous, I think I need to go lie down."

"I can come with you, make sure you get back alright! Trust me, I don't mind being a nurse!"

"No, that's okay. I don't want to risk giving you anything if it's contagious. You're too busy with work to risk getting sick."

Kyoka's hair whipped in the wind as the train pulled in behind her, and the friendly announcement to stand back from the edge of the platform echoed through the station, nearly drowning out Deku's response.

"It's no big deal, really! I've got a strong immune system!"

While she waited for the doors to open, Jiro reached, into her bag, fished out a dark grey sick mask, and pulled it swiftly over her mouth.

"I don't want to be a bother to you," she mumbled through the fabric, fighting back the urge to cry. There were entirely too many emotions swirling around inside her, and right now all she wanted was to be alone. "Don't worry about it, Deku, really. Thanks for tonight, it was a lot of fun. I'll call you."

The doors opened behind her with a pleasant ding, and she stepped inside; the car was crowded and the seats were all taken, so she was left standing just a few feet away from him, her eyes still fixed on his chest as he stammered out a reply.

"O-okay. If you're sure you'll be okay getting home. Text me when you do, alright? I hope you feel better soon!"

Jiro nodded.

"Yeah, me too."

"I had a lot of fun tonight too, by the way! The bands were all so good! You really-"

The doors closed before he could finish his sentence, and within moments the train was speeding away from the station, out into the pitch darkness of the tunnel. Faced with a twenty minute ride, she checked her phone again out of pure instinct, only to be confronted once more by Momo's text.

_ 'So how did the concert go? __Did you tell him everything's alright between us?'_

_ 'Pretty boring,' _Jiro typed, _'nothing special. Yeah, I told him.'_

Then she turned off her phone, leaned against the steadily rocking wall, and closed her eyes, a silent shudder wracking her body.

_God, I really fucked up._

* * *

_Two Days Later_

_Shinsengumi Tap House_

_Tokyo, Asakusa City_

"I'm just saying, it sucks she couldn't even make it out here tonight! Are you sure we shouldn't have just waited? I think we should've waited."

"Kyoka was very insistent that we shouldn't cancel or postpone on her account," Yaoyorozu replied, giving Setsuna a sympathetic look. "I don't feel good about it either, but it's what she wanted, and this is the only night that works for all of us for the foreseeable future. She didn't want to inconvenience us."

The group's third outing had come together rather quickly; they were meeting just two days after Jiro's concert date with Midoriya, at a different venue this time. Everything had looked perfect logistically, until Earphone Jack texted their groupchat just thirty minutes before the time of the meeting, explaining that an unexpected conflict with work had come up, and to go ahead without her. This bar was a bit different atmospherically from the last one, much cozier, with more traditional décor- Yaoyorozu was delighted with it so far, but her co-conspirator's absence still weighed heavy on her mind. _I hope she's alright. She's been acting odd these past few days, after all. _

"Well ain't that ladylike of her." Bakugo growled, his arms crossed. "Well I, for one, am glad we don't have to listen to another bullshit story about Deku suddenly becoming a fucking Casanova."

"You can go sit in the corner if you don't want to participate, sweetie. Believe it or not, some of us actually want to hear what went down." Mina rolled her eyes in Katsuki's general direction, then took a sip from her mai tai, her gold-pupiled gaze shifting to Momo.

"So, what's the tea? We all know she tells you everything, what did she say about the date?"

"I'm betting on a second home run, personally," declared Tsuyu. "Midoriya seems smoother than we gave him credit for."

"I'm kind of hoping we don't make that a trend, to be honest…" murmured Itsuka, hiding her expression behind her beer. "I don't want to be the one to break the streak when it's finally my turn."

"And why are you so certain that you won't end up going all the way?" Tokage teased, one arm wrapped around Kendo's side.

"Well, I, uh… I think I just wanna take things slow, you know? I did just get out of a three year relationship, if you'd forgotten."

"Fair point," added Shinso, "but you never know how these things are going to go. No one goes into a date completely certain how it'll end. Well…" he threw a skeptical glance in Ashido's direction. "Not most people, at least."

"What can I say?" Mina shrugged, a smug grin on her lips. "Not everyone has my level of skill. But back to the question, Yaomomo!"

"She did tell me a bit about it when I asked," Yaoyorozu replied, scrolling back to the text in question for reference. "But if you're all hoping for something salacious, I'm afraid you might be disappointed. It seems it was a fairly ordinary evening: After the concert, she wasn't feeling too well, and went straight home."

That was only half of the story, of course; Kyoka had also confirmed with Momo that she'd cleared up the situation between her and Izuku, and put in a good word for her as well. She'd been somewhat reticent when describing his reply, though, and to make matters worse, Midoriya had been slammed with hero work ever since, on assignment with Monoma and his team in Kansai. After consideration, Yaoyorozu had decided that it would be improper to interrupt him with petty distractions like romance until he returned.

"Surprisingly PG," commented Asui, one finger perched on her mouth. "Huh. I expected more from Kyoka, she missed a chance to have him play nurse."

"Oh, I always love it when Mashirao takes care of me when I'm sick!" Hagakure cried giddily, clapping her hands together. "Whole days full of soup and blankets and TV shows!"

"Wait, that reminds me!" Setsuna slammed a palm on the table, a wide, contagious grin on her face. "This may sound a bit awkward, Toru, but I've been wondering… is, uh… is your snot invisible too? Like, if you accidentally sneeze on yourself, can you see it, or do you just know it's there?"

"It's invisible." She replied promptly. "Trust me- sometimes it's the worst, other times it's surprisingly convenient."

They all shared a laugh at that, and shortly afterward, their food arrived, an assortment of noodle, katsu, and tempura dishes. Ashido was the first to speak up again once they'd all started eating, gesturing in Hagakure's direction with her chopsticks.

"Let's go ahead and get to the main event before we get even more off-topic. If you'd do the honors, Toru? I'm feeling lucky tonight!"

"Pretty sure you were feeling lucky the last two times too," Setsuna sniggered, prompting a scowl from Mina as the sticks were shaken up and distributed.

"I'll have you know that the third time's the charm. So watch and learn, babe, because I'm gonna…" She trailed off in defeat when she turned over her stick and found nothing on the other side, slumping over with a heavy sigh in a dramatic contrast to her much louder reaction the week before.

"That's it, I'm cursed. Who's got it?"

On the other side of the table, Kendo held her stick in the air with a sheepish grin.

"Looks like I'm up."

* * *

**_And we're back again, with part two of the Jiro date and a bit of the aftermath! The cycle of guilt and secrets continues, but can Kendo break the trend and finally have a drama-free date with Midoriya? Will Izuku ever realize what's actually going on? How is Jiro going to handle her broken promise? Tune in next month to find out! _**

**_Next chapter might deal with a little bit of the Ochako situation as well, I'm still deciding whether or not that'll be a chapter of its own. _****_What did you all think of Toga's swing and miss? She was a bit more successful in affecting this date than she was with Momo, but not necessarily in the way she intended. _****_As always, let me know in the reviews what you think of how things are going! Until next time!_**


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